bunny-hug

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of dance: "bunny-hug" refers to a lively dance originating among Indigenous peoples of North America, characterized by hopping or jumping movements reminiscent of a rabbit.
   • A social dance: In early 20th-century American culture, "bunny-hug" also denoted a popular ragtime-era dance involving close partner holds and energetic steps.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The tribe performed the bunny-hug at the festival, moving in a circle with rhythmic hops. (A traditional dance with bunny-like movements.)
  • At the 1910s dance hall, couples enthusiastically danced the bunny-hug to syncopated music. (A specific social dance from the ragtime period.)

Advanced Usage

• "to do the bunny-hug": to perform or engage in this dance.

  • Grandma recalled how she used to do the bunny-hug with her friends at the county fair. (To participate in the dance.)

• "bunny-hug step": a specific movement within the dance.

  • The instructor taught us the basic bunny-hug step: two hops forward, one hop back. (A choreographed movement.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bunny-hugger (n): a person who performs the bunny-hug dance.

  • The bunny-huggers wore bright feathers and bells on their ankles. (A dancer of this style.)

• Bunny-hop (n): a similar dance or movement involving jumps like a rabbit.

  • Children learned the bunny-hop at the school gym class. (A simpler hopping dance.)

Synonyms

• Hop dance: a dance characterized by hopping steps.
• Rabbit dance: an informal term for dances mimicking rabbit movements.

Related Idioms

• Hug like a bunny: to hold someone closely in a dance, as in the bunny-hug.

  • They hugged like bunnies, swaying to the fast beat. (To embrace tightly while dancing.)

• Bunny-hug rhythm: a syncopated musical pattern associated with this dance.

  • The band played a bunny-hug rhythm with a lively banjo and drum. (A specific musical style.)