Trip the light fantastic

The phrase "He did trip it / On the toe" appears in the Jacobean song "Since Robin Hood", set to music by Thomas Weelkes in 1608.

[8] This expression was popularized in the American song "The Sidewalks of New York" (melody and lyrics by Charles B. Lawlor and James W. Blake) in 1894.

The phrase occurs in Nella Larsen's 1929 novel, Passing, when the character Hugh Wentworth, while watching black and white men and women dancing together, chats with Irene and says, "Not having tripped the light fantastic with any males, I'm not in a position to argue the point.

It is thought that Milton's poem may have been inspired by Michelangelo's sculpture of Giuliano de' Medici, which represents vita activa (active life).

I was feeling kinda seasick, but the crowd called out for more…[4] Trip the light fantastic Dance the swivel hips Coming to conclusion Button up your lips.