turkey trot

¹

noun

1. a round dance, danced by couples, properly to ragtime, the step being a springy walk with little or no bending of the knees, and accompanied by a swinging motion of the body with shoulder movements up and down.

turkey-trot

²

[tur-kee-trot]

verb (used without object)

turkey-trotted, turkey-trotting 

1. to dance the turkey trot.

turkey trot

noun

1. an early ragtime one-step, popular in the period of World War I

Word History and Origins

Origin of turkey trot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

“Why mess up a good thing? This isn’t a turkey trot.”

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Mentally she was working up to a turkey trot in November with her husband and son, but her marathon dreams were over.

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There are no high school football games, no marching bands, no turkey trots or parades, and no Santa Claus waving at our northern neighbors from a giant sleigh gliding down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

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Most turkey trots in Southern California are keeping the race tradition alive with virtual runs.

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One of Seidel’s favorite traditions is to wear a turkey costume at a turkey trot in her native Wisconsin.

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