To "trip the light fantastic" is to dance nimbly or lightly to music. The origin of the phrase is attributed to

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

.Kirkpatrick, Betty and Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth McLaren (1999) "light fantastic" ''Clichés: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and Explained'' Macmillan, New York
page 115

History

This phrase evolved over time. Its origin is attributed to Milton's 1645 poem ''

L'Allegro ''L'Allegro'' is a pastoral poem by John Milton published in his 1645 ''Poems''. ''L'Allegro'' (which means "the happy man" in Italian) has from its first appearance been paired with the contrasting pastoral poem, ''Il Penseroso'' ("the melan ...

'',Smith, Chrysti M. (2006) "Trip the Light Fantastic" ''Verbivore's Feast: Second Course: More Word & Phrase Origins'' Farcountry Press, Helena, Montana
page 320
which includes lines addressed to

Euphrosyne Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). Fa ...

—one of the Three Graces of Greek mythology:

Come, and trip it as ye go, On the light fantastick toe.

In Milton's use the word "trip" is to "dance nimbly" and "fantastic" suggests "extremely fancy". "Light fantastic" refers to the word toe, and "toe" refers to a dancer's "footwork". "Toe" has since disappeared from the idiom, which then becomes: "trip the light fantastic". A few years before, in 1637, Milton had used the expression "light fantastic" in reference to dancing in his masque ''

Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...

'': "Come, knit hands, and beat the ground,/In a light fantastic round." Prior to Milton, the expression "tripping on his toe" appears in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's '' The Tempest'' (1610–1611):

Before you can say come, and goe, And breathe twice; and cry, so, so: Each one tripping on his Toe, Will be here with mop, and mowe.

The phrase "He did trip it / On the toe" appears in the Jacobean song "Since Robin Hood", set to music by

Thomas Weelkes Thomas Weelkes (baptised 25 October 1576 – 30 November 1623) was an English composer and organist. He became organist of Winchester College in 1598, moving to Chichester Cathedral. His works are chiefly vocal, and include madrigals, anthe ...

in 1608. This expression was popularised in the American song " Sidewalks of New York" (melody and lyrics by Charles B. Lawlor and

James W. Blake James William Blake (23 September 1862 – 24 May 1935) was a lyricist who is most famous for the words to the 1894 song, "The Sidewalks of New York". Early years and family Blake was one of seven children of Michael and Elizabeth Blake, immigr ...

) in 1894. Part of the chorus:

Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O'Rourke Tripped the light fantastic On the sidewalks of New York.

The phrase occurs in Nella Larsen's 1929 novel, ''Passing'', when the character Hugh Wentworth, while watching black and white men and women dancing together, chats with Irene and says, "Not having tripped the light fantastic with any males, I'm not in a position to argue the point."

Milton, Blake and Michelangelo

John Milton's poem ''L'Allegro'' (1631) encourages the goddess Mirth/Euphrosyne to "trip it as ye go/On the light fantastick toe", and that poem inspired

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

to create a watercolor, "Mirth" (1820), which illustrates that moment in Milton's poem. It is thought that Milton's poem may have been inspired by Michelangelo's sculpture of

Giuliano de' Medici Giuliano de' Medici (25 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of Florence, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his brother's image as the " ...

, which represents ''vita activa'' (active life).

Syntactical critique

In a discussion of anomalous idiomacies in a paradigm attributed to

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...

in his book ''Syntactic Structures'', it is suggested that some idioms are not "syntactically well-formed", and which "could not not be generated by a base component designed to produce well-formed deep structures". Examples are given, including the idioms "by and large", "kingdom come", or "trip the light fantastic". The phrase, and other examples, are considered "opaque because it is impossible to construct a meaningful literal-scene from the formal structure. Nevertheless, these idioms can be recognized as complex constructions rather than as holophrastic sequences. One can therefore claim that for these expressions, the literal-scene only exists as a highly schematic mental representation."

Variations and occurrences in popular culture

A song titled "The Ballet Girl; or She danced on the light fantastic toe", contains the verse "While she danced on her light fantastic toe,/ Round the stage she used to go." It was sung by

Tony Pastor Antonio Pastor (May 28, 1837 – August 26, 1908) was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. He was sometimes referr ...

at his Bowery opera house, and was then published in 1867. In the opening monologue of Tennessee Williams' 1944 play, ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

'', the character Tom addresses the audience, indicates a photograph, and says: The phrase "to trip the light fandango" is used as a phrase for carefree dancing in a Spanish or Latin American

fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...

style in the 1945 recording of the song "South America", Vitaphone Release 1460A.

Chester Himes Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include ''If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the Harlem Detective series of novels for which he is best ...

in 1960 used a variation on the phrase: "Colored boys and girls in ski ensembles and ballet skirts were skating the light fantastic at two o'clock ... " In 1967, the English rock band

Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have List of best-selling singles, sold over ...

released its song, "

A Whiter Shade of Pale "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, i ...

" with lyrics by

Keith Reid Keith Stuart Brian Reid (born 19 October 1946 Allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny/ref>) is a lyricist and songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every song released by Procol Harum that was not previously recorded by someone else, with the except ...

, which includes the phrase

we skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor. I was feeling kinda seasick, but the crowd called out for more…

In 1973,

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

employed two plays on the phrase ("trip the light fandango" and "pitch the quick fantastic") in the song "The Miller's Son," from his musical ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. ...

.'' In 1978, the Australian New Wave project

Flash and the Pan Flash and the Pan were an Australian new wave musical group (essentially an ongoing studio project) formed in 1976 by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of the Easybeats; they were a production and songwriting team known as Van ...

released " Walking in the Rain", which later became a minor hit in the cover version by

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

and included the phrase:

Trip the light fantastic Dance the swivel hips Coming to conclusion Button up your lips.''

''Trip the Light Fantastic'' is the name of an afternoon show on the Australian radio station 2EARfm. In 1985, rock band

Marillion Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...

released its song "

Heart of Lothian "Heart of Lothian" is a song by British neo-progressive rock band Marillion. It is the fifth track on the 1985 concept album ''Misplaced Childhood''. The song was released as the third single from ''Misplaced Childhood'' on 18 November 1985 in ...

" which included the line "and the trippers of the light fantastic, bow down, hoe-down." American rock band

Greta Van Fleet Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan, formed in 2012. It consists of Kiszka brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam (bass guitar, keyboards); and Danny Wagner (drums). They were signed to Lava Records in M ...

recorded a song titled "Trip the Light Fantastic" for their 2021 album ''

The Battle at Garden's Gate ''The Battle at Garden's Gate'' is the second studio album by American rock band Greta Van Fleet, released on April 16, 2021. The album's first single, "My Way, Soon", was released on October 9, 2020 and topped the '' Billboard'' Mainstream Rock c ...

''.Blistein, Jon
"Greta Van Fleet Search for Love Amid War on New Song 'Heat Above'"
''Rolling Stone'' online. February 10, 2021.

References

{{reflist

External links

at ''The Phrase Finder'' website English-language idioms