English · Slang Historical

break-down

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A noisy dance, almost violent enough to break the floor down; a jovial, social gathering, a "flare up;" in Ireland, a wedding—American so far as the dance is concerned.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một điệu nhảy ồn ào, gần như đủ mạnh để phá hủy sàn nhà

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “break-down” mean?

A noisy dance, almost violent enough to break the floor down; a jovial, social gathering, a "flare up;" in Ireland, a wedding—American so far as the dance is concerned.

Is “break-down” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time