jazz hands

[ jaz handz ]

plural noun

1. especially in modern jazz dance, a movement in which the performer displays forward-facing palms and fully splayed fingers, usually with the hands waving rapidly: adopted in general as a spirited gesture of enthusiasm:

   I want perfect mastery of all the steps in this number before we move to the upper limbs, so keep your jazz hands to yourself.

   Excuse my parents—they were cheerleaders in college, so their jazz hands come out whenever they’re excited about something.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jazz hands¹

First recorded in 1920–25, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

He spun three times, stopped on a dime, and flashed the familiar “jazz hands” pose before walking away.

From The Daily Beast

Pippin Sometimes people joke about musical theater and they make jazz hands.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes a musical is so iconic that it's the reason that the jazz-hands cliché even exists.

From The Daily Beast

The lazy among us would say the Tony Awards because—tee hee—gays love musical theater and Patti LuPone and jazz hands and UGH.

From The Daily Beast