tea dance

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

tea dance (plural tea dances)

1. (dated) [early 20th c.] A late afternoon or early evening dance, typically with a live orchestra (often referred to as a palm court orchestra) playing light classical music.
2. (US, Canada) Any late afternoon or early evening dance.

Usage notes

• Since the 1970s, gay oriented tea dances have been popular with the gay community.

Alternative forms

• T-dance, T dance

Translations

late afternoon or early evening dance

• French: thé dansant (fr)
• Persian: ته دانسان (te-dânsân)

Anagrams

• decanate