St. Vitus's dance
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of St. Vitus's dance
First recorded in 1620–30; named after St. Vitus (3rd century), patron saint of those who have chorea
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To round out this satire he introduces a lame man who infects the Flemish peasants with St. Vitus’s dance.
From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2011
The mania was called St. Vitus's dance because a visit to the saint's chapel sometimes worked a cure.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Shaking so bad it looked like he had St. Vitus's dance," as Calhoun put it, the minister explained that he feared for his children's lives and could not cooperate.
From Time Magazine Archive
Privately criticized for failing to back up his chief, he was once reported to have snorted: ''How can you stand behind a man with St. Vitus's dance?
From Time Magazine Archive
The strain of the past few days had seriously affected his health; he was suffering from a kind of St. Vitus's dance.
From Across the Cameroons A Story of War and Adventure by Gilson, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
