goose step
Preserved but no longer current.
A form of military marching in which the legs are moved only from the hips, the knees being kept rigid, each leg being swung as high as possible. It was never popular in the British army, where it was introduced as a form of recruit drill in the late 18th century. In a modified form it still exists in the slow march.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “goose step” mean?
A form of military marching in which the legs are moved only from the hips, the knees being kept rigid, each leg being swung as high as possible. It was never popular in the British army, where it was introduced as a form of recruit drill in the late 18th century. In a modified form it still exists in the slow march.
Is “goose step” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.