Short and Sweet: Party Parlance for Mardi Gras

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent begins. From Mardi Gras in New Orleans to Carnaval in Brazil to Pancake Day in Ireland, Catholics around the world party like they're about to fast for 40 days — because they are. Learn these words related to celebrations and be the life of the party!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. banquet
    a ceremonial dinner party for many people
    Normally a time for parties and celebration, banquets and fireworks, instead across the country – even in places far from the centre or any reported cases – people were cancelling their party plans and staying home. The Guardian (Jan 25, 2020)
    From banquette the French word for bench, banquet describes a lavish feast for a large group, usually to mark a special occasion.
  2. bash
    an uproarious party
    To collect input, the group threw three “design parties,” including a summer bash at the beach with canoe lessons. Seattle Times (Jan 19, 2020)
    A bash is a heavy, damaging blow, but in the early 20th century it began to be used as slang for a wild party.
  3. celebration
    a joyful occasion for festivities to mark some happy event
    Beijing and other large Chinese cities canceled their celebrations in a bid to help contain the virus. Washington Post (Jan 26, 2020)
  4. costume
    attire characteristic of a country, time, or social class
    And it's not just the big-name actors who are invited - nominated cinematographers, sound mixers, costume designers and everyone in between attend, too. BBC (Jan 28, 2020)
  5. festival
    a day or period of time set aside for celebration
    The festival began in Baton Rouge, briefly switched to New Orleans, then returned to Baton Rouge over its decade-long tenure. Washington Times (Jan 28, 2020)
    Festivus — yes, really — is the Latin word for "feast." It's also the root of festive, an adjective describing something that's fun or celebratory.
  6. fete
    an elaborate party, often outdoors
    The heart-stopping, widely seen climbing movie “Free Solo” prevailed last year, the latest in a line of publicly feted documentaries to win this Oscar. Los Angeles Times (Jan 28, 2020)
    Fête is French for "party."
  7. float
    an elaborate display mounted on a platform in a parade
    Elaborate floats representing different Indian states also joined the parade. BBC (Jan 26, 2020)
    Because they're built on flatbed trailers and have decorative skirts surrounding them, floats look like they're floating above the ground as they move.
  8. frolic
    play boisterously
    Whale-watchers off Dana Point got the Christmas gift of a lifetime last week when a trio of gray whales was spotted frolicking with scores of dolphins and sea lions. Los Angeles Times (Dec 30, 2019)
    From the Flemish frolicken, frolic means "to play," especially in a bouncy, carefree way.
  9. gleeful
    full of high-spirited delight
    Delightful, hilarious and clever, this star-studded mystery-comedy is total entertainment, with expert work at every level — but also with an irresistible, gleeful sense of fun bursting from the screen. Washington Post (Dec 18, 2019)
  10. jamboree
    a festive party or celebration
    The festival will include high school, prep school and youth games, a mites jamboree and clinics run by USA Hockey. Seattle Times (Jan 23, 2020)
    Jamboree is American slang of unknown origin. It refers to any big party, most often an annual Boy or Girl Scout rally.
  11. parade
    a ceremonial procession including people marching
    Midway through the parade, children danced through the streets, flinging handfuls of plastic-wrapped fortune cookies into the air. Washington Post (Jan 26, 2020)
    Do you love a parade? Did you know that it was originally a French word, essentially meaning "to show off?"
  12. revelry
    unrestrained merrymaking
    Some walking parades and streetcar-riding groups touch off Carnival revelry, which climaxes on Fat Tuesday — Feb. 25 of this year. Seattle Times (Jan 5, 2020)
  13. rollick
    play boisterously
    To all appearances, the animated comedy “Spies in Disguise” is just another a rollicking sendup of superspy thrillers. Washington Post (Dec 16, 2019)
    Rollick is of unknown origin, though it's possibly a combination of romp and frolic.
  14. romp
    light-hearted recreation activity
    Even in the early Victorian era, this mild romp was an antique. New York Times (Dec 15, 2019)
    Ramp used to mean "stand up on hind legs," like a horse rearing up. That's why in heraldry rampant refers to an animal in that position. A romp is therefore something fun that involves lots of jumping. It's often used today to describe one sports team beating another easily.
  15. shindig
    a large and noisy party of people
    As with many Globes shindigs, there was an area available for a makeup refresh. Los Angeles Times (Jan 6, 2020)
  16. spectacle
    an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale
    The former LSU star made quite the spectacle at the college national championship game between his alma mater and Clemson last week. Washington Times (Jan 21, 2020)
    A spectacle is an impressively staged event, though it's often used in a pejorative sense, to describe something you gawk at in dismay.
Created on Thu Nov 07 13:46:43 EST 2019 (updated Fri Feb 07 13:31:35 EST 2020)

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