zydeco
zydeco Lexical Profile
zydeco Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A fast-paced, syncopated genre of popular dance music originating among Black Creole communities in southwestern Louisiana, typically featuring the accordion and a corrugated metal washboard (frottoir) alongside elements of blues, rhythm and blues, and traditional Cajun music.
"The festival stage came alive when the band began playing upbeat zydeco on the accordion and washboard."
American A lively social dance or party in southwestern Louisiana at which zydeco music is performed.
"Neighbors from across the parish gathered at the community hall for a Saturday night zydeco."
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in mid-20th-century Louisiana Creole French, the word is widely traced to the phonetic rendering of 'les haricots' ('the snap beans') in the traditional folk expression 'Les haricots sont pas salés' ('The snap beans aren't salty'), an idiom signifying hard times.