rock and roll

English

Alternative forms

• rock-and-roll, rock 'n' roll, rock-n-roll, rock-'n'-roll, rock & roll

Etymology

As a name for a specific style of popular music from c.1954, coined by disc jockey Alan Freed. Originally a verb phrase common among Black speakers of English, meaning "have sexual intercourse"; it was a euphemism with a hidden meaning that appeared in song titles and dance styles since the early 1930’s. More at rock (“to move back and forth”), roll.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹɒkændˈɹeʊl/, /ˈɹɒkənˈɹeʊl/; see usage note below

Noun

rock and roll (uncountable)

1. A style of popular music characterized by a basic drum-beat, generally 4/4 riffs, based on (usually electric) guitar, drums, and vocals (generally with bass guitar). Generally used to refer to the 1950’s rock, and rock of its style, quite close to swing.
2. Style of vigorous dancing associated with this 1950’s music.
3. An intangible feeling, philosophy, belief or allegiance relating to rock music (generally from the 1970s–1980s), and heavy metal bearing certain elements of this music, pertaining to unbridled enthusiasm, cynical regard for certain Christian and authoritarian bodies, and attitudes befitting some degree of youthful debauchery. This meaning is sometimes used as an exclamation, in describing traits of certain people, and so on.
4. (UK) (rhyming slang) dole.

Usage notes

• When pronounced, the word "and" in this phrase, as in many others, is frequently reduced to a mere /ən/ or /n/ (i.e. pronounced "rok-an-roll" or "raw-kn-roll). When this occurs, it is often reflected in contracted spellings like rock 'n' roll (see alternative forms above).

Translations

style of music

Arabic: روك أند رول (ar) (rok ʾand rol, rūk ʾand rūl) m. Belarusian: рок-н-ролл (be) (rok-n-róll) m. Bulgarian: рокендрол (bg) (rokendról) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 搖滾 (zh), 摇滚 (zh) (yáogǔn) Esperanto: rokenrolo (eo) French: rock and roll (fr) m., rock 'n' roll (fr) m. German: Rock ’n’ Roll (de) m. Greek: ροκ εντ ρολ (el) (rok ent rol) n.

Hebrew: רוק אנד רול (he) m. Hindi: रॉक एंड रोल (hi) (rok eṇḍ rol) Irish: rac-cheol (ga) m. Japanese: ロックンロール (ja) (rokkunrōru) Korean: 로큰롤 (ko) (rokeunnol) Persian: راک اند رول (fa) (râk ând rol) Romanian: rock (ro) n., rock and roll (ro) n. Russian: рок-н-ролл (ru) (rok-n-róll) m. Ukrainian: рок-н-ролл (uk) (rok-n-róll) m.

Verb

to rock and roll (third-person singular simple present rocks and rolls or rock and rolls, present participle rocking and rolling or rock and rolling, simple past and past participle rocked and rolled or rock and rolled)

1. To play rock and roll music.
2. (slang, euphemistic) To have sex.
3. To start, commence, begin, get moving.

   Does everyone know what car they're going in? Then let's rock and roll!

Usage notes

• The use of this phrase as a euphemism for sexual intercourse predates the "style of music" sense above. It was originally prevalent among African Americans.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:sexual intercourse.