FANDANGO

(Spanish.) An air for dancing to, in triple time, and of a quick and lively character. It is the favourite dancing air of the Spaniards, among whom it is of great antiquity. The dancer is usually provided with castanets, — a practice borrowed from the Moors, — which serve to mark the time more distinctly than a stringed instrument alone would do. The Spaniards in dancing to this species of air often carry their gestures beyond the bounds of decency. [s. 452]