to cut the buckle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To caper about, to heel and toe it in dancing. In jigs the two feet buckle or twist into each other with great rapidity.
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 “to cut the buckle” mean?
To caper about, to heel and toe it in dancing. In jigs the two feet buckle or twist into each other with great rapidity.
Is “to cut the buckle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.