dancetime

English

Alternative forms

• dance-time

Etymology

dance +‎ time

Noun

dancetime (uncountable)

1. The time for dancing.
   • 1944 August 19, “Frank Dailey's Terrace Room, Newark”, in Billboard, volume 56, number 34:

     However, there is no loss of dancing floor space since a sectioned, wooden covering is placed over the ice when dancetime rolls around and the patrons trip the light fantastic with no apparent discomfort.

   • 1975, John Dos Passos, edited by Warren G. French, The Twenties: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, page 132:

     The wind goes among them detaching sweat-smells from underclothes making muscles itch under overcoats tweaking legs with inklings of dancetime.

   • 2006, James B. Reuter, Legacy: Selected Works & Writings of James Reuter, S.J., page 246:

     It's dancetime here in the Green Room, and time for you to rest a while.

   • 2010, Betty White, Here We Go Again: My Life In Television, page 67:

     Al was not only leaving the show, he was leaving the station altogether and moving to KABC to do a dancetime show for young people.

2. A lively tempo suitable for dancing.
   • 1951, Radio Daily-television Daily - Volume 56, Issues 1-62, page 61:

     The dancetime stylings of the leader-pianist typify for all ages the carefree mood of a night "on the town".

   • 2006, Frank Krutnik, In a Lonely Street: Film Noir, Genre, Masculinity, page 174:

     In opposition to Rip and Johnny, then, Martinelli and Krause represent a corrupt 'homosexual' bonding: the sadistic sexual circuit which operates between them is italicised during Krause's beating of Rip, which he performs 'to dancetime', with the radio blaring.

   • 2013, Ian Whitcomb, After the Ball: Pop Music from Rag to Rock, page 1901:

     Ragtime and dancetime took their toll of the veteran writers.