rock and roll

Meanings

Noun

• A genre of popular music that evolved in the 1950s from a combination of rhythm and blues and country music, characterized by electric guitars, strong rhythms, and youth-oriented lyrics.
• A style of vigorous dancing associated with this genre of music.
• An intangible feeling, philosophy, belief or allegiance relating to rock music, characterized by unbridled enthusiasm, hedonism and cynical regard for authoritarian bodies.
• Dole, payment by the state to the unemployed.
• The full automatic fire capability selection on a selective fire weapon.

Verb

• To have sex.
• To play rock and roll music.
• To start, commence, begin, get moving.

Origin

• From rock + and + roll; originally a verb phrase common among African Americans, meaning "to have sexual intercourse"; it was a euphemism that appeared in song titles since at least 1914 (Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me With One Steady Roll").
• As a name for a specific style of popular music from the early 1950s, popularized by disc jockey Alan Freed in reference to the euphemistic use in song titles.