Footloose and Fancy Free

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button FOOTLOOSE FANCY FREE
Image Description

Red background with two blue lines and blue text

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Footloose and fancy-free is an English idiom that means not attached to anyone and being free from heavy responsibilities or messy ties of a romance gone sour. According to Merriam-Webster, fancy-free dates to 1590 and it meant being free from romantic attachment. Footloose first known use came in 1650 meaning a person without ties and free to move. In the 1800s, the idiom footloose and fancy free into one expression.  

The idiom has evolved over time to become a ubiquitous expression. It's the title of several songs, as well as a Rod Stewart album from 1977. Footloose, a popular movie from 1984 starring teenager Kevin Bacon, is about a teen who moves to a town where dancing is prohibited. Nevertheless, he and other teenagers fight to dance and set their feet free.  

Sources

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Footloose. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 5, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/footloose 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Fancy-free. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 5, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fancy-free 

Smith, A. (2023, February 04). Words and Their Stories. Footloose and Fancy-Free. VOA Learning English. Retrieved from https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/footloose-and-fancy-free/6942202.html 

Catalog ID IB0872