sashay

Verlan (or metathesis) form of French chassé, past participle of chasser (“chase”), from Latin captō, frequentative of capiō (“I take”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈsæʃeɪ/, /sæˈʃeɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: sachet
• Rhymes: -æʃeɪ, -eɪ

sashay (plural sashays)

1. A chassé.
2. A sequence of sideways steps in a circle in square dancing.

sashay (third-person singular simple present sashays, present participle sashaying, simple past and past participle sashayed)

1. (intransitive) To walk casually, showily, or in a flirty manner; to strut, swagger or flounce.
   • 1906 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Brief Début Of Tildy”, in The Four Million, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co, →OCLC, page 256:

     “Fresh guy,” explained Aileen, “last night as I was going home at Twenty-third and Sixth. Sashayed up, so he did, and made a break. I turned him down, cold, and he made a sneak; […]

   • 1915, Jack London, The Star Rover‎:

     Some time, when they shift some decent guards on us that will give us a peep at a newspaper, you get yourself thrown into the jacket, climb out of your body, and sashay down to little old ’Frisco.

   • 1920 April 10 – August 28, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, chapter 11, in The Little Warrior [Jill the Reckless], New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 8 October 1920, →OCLC, section 1, page 194:

     … He got on Forty-second Street, and he was kinda fresh from the start. At Sixty-sixth he came sasshaying^[sic] right down the car and said ‘Hello, patootie!’ Well, I drew myself up …

   • 1959, Truman Capote, Observations. […], page 18:

     It does amuse to remember the fadeout road of Chaplin's silent days, the empty dusty vista down which, at the end of every adventure, the little bum recedingly sashayed, knapsack aboard.

   • 1994, Walter Dean Myers, The Glory Field, →ISBN, page 80:

     Goldie pulled her skirts up in front of her, gave Elijah a look over her shoulder, and sashayed away.

   • 2022 October 15, Zoe Williams, “Love Island winner Ekin-Su on sex, spin-offs and surgery […] ”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     She sashayed into the villa as just another bombshell, but stole the show.

     (Can we archive this URL?)

2. (intransitive) To chassé when dancing.
   • 1961, Victor Appleton, Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung‎:

     "Hope I didn't put away too much fried chicken to sashay properly at the square dance," Bud remarked.

3. (intransitive) To move sideways.
   • 2015 March 4, Louise Taylor, “(please specify the article title)”, in The Guardian‎, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     Games can hinge on the sort of controversial decision made by Taylor in the 10th minute. After Rivière collected Gabriel Obertan’s pass and sashayed beyond Daley Blind he drew the United centre- half into a rash, clumsy challenge but, puzzlingly, Taylor detected no penalty.

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