Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lead someone a dance

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.69 in modern English

Syllables
lead- -some-one a -dance
IPA
23
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To waste somebody's time in an elaborately circuitous manner.

Etymology

Clipped version of lead someone on a merry dance.

Inflected Forms

leads someone a dance (present, singular) leading someone a dance (participle, present) led someone a dance (participle, past) led someone a dance (past)

Phrases

merry dance

Frequently Paired Words

merry dance

Questions

What does lead someone a dance mean?
To waste somebody's time in an elaborately circuitous manner.
Where does lead someone a dance come from?
Clipped version of lead someone on a merry dance.

How to pronounce lead someone a dance

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lead someone a dance”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lead someone a dance”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lead someone a dance” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.