Dictionary

hippity-hop en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Compound of hippity + hop, in turn from hip (a regional variant of hop) + -ety. Attested since the middle nineteenth century, with hippity-hoppity appearing somewhat earlier.

Meanings

1. (childish) Moving by hopping, having an uneven gait.
   • There must be hundreds of them killed every summer day - and, it's no wonder when one observes the erratic, hippity-hop way they try to cross the road. 1987, G. Bennett, Birdfinding in Canada, page 21:
2. (figuratively) Proceeding through uneven stages.
   • In 1927, when United Air Lines began service over a hippity-hop route between San Francisco and Chicago, Cheyenne again rather than Denver was picked as a stop. 1976, Bill Hosokawa, Thunder in the Rockies: The Incredible Denver Post, page 133:

Forms

hippity-hop en · ADV · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Compound of hippity + hop, in turn from hip (a regional variant of hop) + -ety. Attested since the middle nineteenth century, with hippity-hoppity appearing somewhat earlier.

Meanings

1. (childish, not-comparable) Unevenly, with a hopping gait.
   • So he mounted the horse, which went hippity-hop, hippity-hop. 1857, John Edward Taylor, “The Wild Man”, in The Fairy Ring: A Collection of Tales and Traditions, Translated from the German of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, page 101:
   • Which show how the tortoise moved? hopped / waddled / scampered / scurried / plodded / ran hippity-hop / took one slow step after another 1938, Elizabeth Baker, Language Journeys with our Friends, page 109:

Forms

hippity-hop en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Compound of hippity + hop, in turn from hip (a regional variant of hop) + -ety. Attested since the middle nineteenth century, with hippity-hoppity appearing somewhat earlier.

Meanings

1. (childish) A hop

Forms

hippity-hop en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Compound of hippity + hop, in turn from hip (a regional variant of hop) + -ety. Attested since the middle nineteenth century, with hippity-hoppity appearing somewhat earlier.

Meanings

1. (childish) to hop.

Forms

Relateds

hippity-hoppity

hippity-hop en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (humorous, uncountable) hip-hop (music)
   • I'm not much into teh hippity-hop like teh kids. 2006 June 16, Talysman the Ur-Beatle, “Bob Saget lieks teh hippity-hop”, in alt.religion.kibology (Usenet):

Forms