dance attendance

English

Verb

dance attendance (third-person singular simple present dances attendance, present participle dancing attendance, simple past and past participle danced attendance)

1. (archaic, idiomatic) To wait obsequiously (on or upon someone).
   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     A man of his place, and so near our favour, / To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasure.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 33:

     Astonishingly, the king's health rallied, causing Orléans's antechamber to become deserted again as courtiers rushed back to dance attendance at the royal bedside.