Definitions

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun the name of a dance, briefly popular in the 1960's.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Potato that has been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun potato that has been peeled and boiled and then mashed

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  • The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. It was danced to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time". Also referred to as "mash potato" or "mashed potatoes", the move vaguely resembles that of the Twist, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian, Chubby Checker.

    The dance begins by stepping backward with one foot with that heel tilted inward. The foot is positioned slightly behind the other (stationary) foot. With the weight on the ball of the starting foot, the heel is then swiveled outward. The same process is repeated with the other foot: step back and behind with heel inward, pivot heel out, and so on. The pattern is continued for as many repetitions as desired. The step may be incorporated in various dances either as a separate routine or as a styling of standard steps.

    James Brown had two Mashed Potato-related chart hits, "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" (1960; released under a pseudonym) and "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." (1962); Brown also featured the dance prominently in his live performances during the 50s and 60s. The dance was also referred to in Connie Francis' 1962 hit "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" ("...we'll Mashed Potato to a jukebox tune..."), "Do You Love Me" by The Contours, "Harry the Hairy Ape" a 1963 Top-20 pop and R&B novelty hit by Ray Stevens, and "Land Of 1,000 Dances", a song made popular by Wilson Pickett.

    _Wikipedia

    February 24, 2008