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Dec 1, 2009
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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—Q

Quanquam

or Cancan. A slang manner of dancing quadrilles permitted in the public gardens of Paris, etc. The word cancan is a corruption of the Latin quamquam, a term applied to the exercises delivered by young theological students before the divinity professors. Hence it came to signify “babble,” “jargon,” anything crude, jejune, etc.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Quarantine
Quandary
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More on Quanquam from Infoplease:

  • Quanquam - Quanquam or Cancan. A slang manner of dancing quadrilles permitted in the public gardens of Paris, ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Q - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "Q"
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