JAZZ HANDS Definition & Meaning

jazz hands

[ jaz handz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

plural noun

especially in modern jazz dance, a movement in which the performer displays forward-facing palms and fully splayed fingers, usually with the hands waving rapidly: adopted in general as a spirited gesture of enthusiasm:
I want perfect mastery of all the steps in this number before we move to the upper limbs, so keep your jazz hands to yourself.
Excuse my parents—they were cheerleaders in college, so their jazz hands come out whenever they’re excited about something.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of jazz hands¹

First recorded in 1920–25, for an earlier sense

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ms Spielman accuses the education secretary of using "polished verbiage and jazz hands" when announcing policies, and claimed some policies had been "influenced by education union leaders and activists".

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“Better Man” charts Williams’ childhood in Stoke-on-Trent, and he claims, “I came out of the womb with jazz hands, which hurt my mother,” hoping to get a laugh.

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My mum put me into drama school at one stage and I hated it because it was all sort of like jazz hands and I wasn’t there yet.

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Whether or not he winds up doing jazz hands or belting out pop tunes in costume, Santos’ improbable story is already bound for the small screen: On Monday, HBO confirmed it has optioned the rights to journalist Mark Chiusano’s newly released nonfiction book “The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos,” with “Veep” and “Succession” executive producer Frank Rich on board to help adapt it.

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Sure, there’s Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and the Hulk, among others, but these are superheroes who spend more time flexing jazz hands than muscle.

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