[General] dance attendance on somebody - 2

dance attendance on somebody

Dear teachers,

Would you tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentences?

Don’t you think for one moment that I don’t know of Berenice Fleming here in New York, and how you’re dancing attendance on her. (Th. Dreiser, “The Titan”)

But the girls had to have young men to take them to dances, picnics or shows, so occasionally he favored steadily, good-looking youths who wanted to dance attention on Kitty or Tessa, take them out. (K. S. Prichard, “Working Bullocks”)

dance attendance on somebody = pay court to, run after, pay one’s addresses to

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

Dear teachers,

Would you tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

…I had thought!
They had parted so much honey among them
At least good manners as not thus to suffer
A man of his place , and so near our favor,
To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasures
And at the door too like a post with packets. (Shakespeare, “King Henry VIII”)

dance attendance on somebody = fawn on, truckle to

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

vil said:

Dear teachers,

Would you tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence?

…I had thought!
They had parted so much honey among them
At least good manners as not thus to suffer
A man of his place , and so near our favor,
To dance attendance on their lordships’ pleasures
And at the door too like a post with packets. (Shakespeare, “King Henry VIII”)

dance attendance on somebody = fawn on, truckle to

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

Click to expand...

There are a couple of meanings:

Dance attendance on
Definition of dance attendance on sb from Cambridge Dictionary Online: Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus
dance attendance on - dance attendance on idioms and phrases

The last one gives an explanation for the different meanings.

Here is an old post of your humble servant where you may make yourself familiar with my views concerning the other interpretation of the expression in question:

Dear teachers,

Would you tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentences?

Don’t you think for one moment that I don’t know of Berenice Fleming here in New York, and how you’re dancing attendance on her. (Th. Dreiser, “The Titan”)

But the girls had to have young men to take them to dances, picnics or shows, so occasionally he favored steadily, good-looking youths who wanted to dance attention on Kitty or Tessa, take them out. (K. S. Prichard, “Working Bullocks”)

dance attendance on somebody = pay court to, run after, pay one’s addresses to

Thanks for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

vil said:

Here is an old post of your humble servant where you may make yourself familiar with my views concerning the other interpretation of the expression in question:

Click to expand...

Could you use Modern English? I am having trouble understanding what it is that you want to convey.

What?

Your humble servant, or Your obedient servant, phrases of civility formerly often used in closing a letter, now archaic; -- at one time such phrases were exaggerated to include Your most humble, most obedient servant.

in question = under consideration, referring to the subject being discussed

What??