…and away they danced.

[Humble]

Hi,
Please help me understand the meaning of away in the sentence from a fairy-tale:
“It’s the nicest tune we have ever heard”, said all the other fairies and away they danced.
They stayed where they were and went on talking with Jack later – why away?
Thanks in advance.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Humble

Hi,
Please help me understand the meaning of away in the sentence from a fairy-tale:
“It’s the nicest tune we have ever heard”, said all the other fairies and away they danced.
They stayed where they were and went on talking with Jack later – why away?
Thanks in advance.

That's a fairly informal use of 'away' to modify a verb that involves continuity or repetition or lack of inhibition: There she was, talking away, regardless of how stupid she looked.

An informal way of saying 'carry on' is 'fire away'.

b

[Humble]

Aha, so they danced on.
Thanks, Bob.

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Humble

Aha, so they danced on.
Thanks, Bob.

I don't know the fairy tale, but if a character were reporting the scene, he could be using 'danced away' in the sense of dancing away from the narrator [to the other side of the room]. But the meaning of 'danced on' is more likely.

b

[Humble]

No, there's no doubt - they went on dancing.