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do the locomotion

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A list of 120 words by rolig.

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Ways of walking, running, skipping, etc. Not included: assisted locomotion (riding, driving, boating). These verbs should more or less fit the paradigm: She _______ (her way) into/out of/through/around/ø the room.

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  • bilby yomp Oct 24, 2009

  • laurelannlucy Amble is a simple one, but sometimes I find that no other word will do. Aug 21, 2009

  • rolig Excellent suggestions, all! Thanks! They have been duly added. Bilby, for some reason, I wasn't aware of the locomotive meaning of flounce. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Dc, I had forgotten all about hightail, even though I enjoy using it myself. And Sionnach, I don't know how exit and scoot escaped me. Oct 24, 2008

  • sionnach scoot? exit? Oct 24, 2008

  • dontcry High-tail? Oct 24, 2008

  • bilby flounce. Oct 24, 2008

  • rolig Hie is a good one. Thanks, bilby. I'm afraid, though, that if I add moonwalk, I would have to add other very specific kinds of movement (e.g. can-can, tango, goose-step), which is not what I want to do here. Sep 13, 2008

  • bilby Hie, moonwalk. Sep 13, 2008

  • rolig This is a new one to me. "She tittupped into the room." Sounds fun. Sep 11, 2008

  • bilby Tittup. Sep 11, 2008

  • rolig You're right, yarb. I do. Sep 9, 2008

  • yarb I think you need lollop. Sep 9, 2008

  • bilby hurple, which is an odd thing, but at least it rhymes with purple :-) Jan 4, 2008

  • rolig Bilby, I wonder if your grandfather's toodling was related to the old-fashioned casual way of saying goodbye, "toodle-oo!" - which interestingly may derive from the French à tout à l'heure!, meaning, approximately, "See you soon!"

    "Dawdle", on the other hand, seems to be related to "doddle", which may be related to toddle, dodder, or dither. Dec 27, 2007

  • bilby dawdle. My grandfather used to say he would toodle off to bed which is probably just a variation. Dec 26, 2007

  • rolig good suggestions, bilby! Thanks! Dec 23, 2007

  • bilby Bowl, dance, steal. I also think it's time to reclaim surge from the Pentagon. Dec 23, 2007

  • rolig thanks for the suggestions. Dewly added (it's almost morning). Dec 16, 2007

  • sionnach amble? canter? Dec 16, 2007

  • bilby Have you met sally? Dec 16, 2007

  • sionnach Interesting that fully one third of the current (57-word) list are words beginning with 's'. How about slither as another possibility? Or swerve? Wander? Wobble? Weave? Wend? Dec 13, 2007

  • mollusque Galumph is only slightly less common than gallivant in a Google Book search, and most uses are not overt references to Lewis Carroll. So I'd say galumph has been naturalized in English. But it's your list. Stick to your editorial guns.

    By the way, for a translator who likes lists, I'd recommend March's Thesaurus and Dictionary of the English Language (1958). It has massive themed lists with positive connotations in the left column and negative connotations in the right column. For example, Cleanness--Filthiness spans three pages with about 400 line items). Dec 13, 2007

  • rolig Thanks for all the suggestions. Like several other of my lists, this is meant to remind me of words I can use in my translating work, so more specialized terms or words that are extremely specialized (e.g. titubate) or peculiar (does anyone use galumph without conciously alluding to Alice in Wonderland?), I will probably leave out. Dec 12, 2007

  • uselessness I like it! Still looking for gallop, step, hike, and traverse. :-) Dec 12, 2007

  • reesetee And welcome to it, rolig. Great list! Dec 12, 2007

  • rduke How about wamble, titubate, gambol and circumambulate? Dec 12, 2007

  • bilby No time to leave a comment, I gotta skedaddle. Dec 12, 2007

  • mollusque How about limp and galumph? Dec 12, 2007

  • rolig Many of these words were trawled from reesetee's excellent list Walk This Way. Many thanks! Dec 12, 2007