To prance about. See quot. 1840. Probably a corruption of curvet.
1834. Government’s bought their land, and it ’s wrong for them to be cavorting round quiet people’s houses any more.—C. F. Hoffman, ‘A Winter in the Far West,’ ii. 28–9 (Lond., 1835).
1835. He galloped this way, then that, and then the other. Spurred his horse to one group of citizens, then to another. Then dashed off at half speed, as if fleeing from danger; and suddenly checking his horse, returned—first in a pace, then in a trot, and then in a canter. While he was performing these various evolutions, he cursed, swore, whooped, screamed, and tossed himself in every attitude which man could assume on horse back. In short, he cavorted most magnanimously, (a term which, in our tongue, expressed all that I have described, and a little more) and seemed to be setting all creation at defiance.—A. B. Longstreet, ‘Georgia Scenes,’ pp. 20–1.
1840. That ar man he tooks up a dornick, and made a heap of cavortins.—Daily Pennant (St. Louis), June 18.
1845. She better not come a cavortin’ ’bout me with any of her rantankerous carryin’s on this mornin’, for I aint in no humour nohow!—W. T. Thompson, ‘Chronicles of Pineville,’ p. 178 (Phila.).
1847. I ain’t a fellow to covort [sic] or make a fuss.—Oregon Spectator, Jan. 7.
1848. In about a minit here he cum agin, cusin [cussing] and cavortin enuff to sink the boat.—W. T. Thompson, ‘Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel,’ p. 110 (Phila.).
1854. Wiggins was ‘cavorting in the upper regions,’ as Turtle called it.—H. H. Riley, ‘Puddleford,’ p. 108 (N.Y.).
1856. From the city, from all sorts of dissipation, they go cavorting out, honey-fuggling their consciences with the patent-salve idea of rest and relaxation, and of making up for last season’s devilment, and then go snorting into hops as if they were a pious thing.—Knick. Mag., xlviii. 286 (Sept.).
1861. Cavort roun’ the country on horseback.—Harper’s Weekly, v. p. 634/1 (Oct. 5).
1866. The faithful Tip then informed me how they waited for my return, and how the Yankees did come on a raid, and cavorted about, and how the ladies let down all the valuables in the well except the baby.—C. H. Smith, ‘Bill Arp,’ p. 107.
1869. As we trotted across the Plain of Jezreel, we met half a dozen Digger Indians (Bedouins) with very long spears in their hands, cavorting around on old cowbait horses, and spearing imaginary enemies; whooping, and fluttering their rags in the wind, and carrying on in every respect like a pack of hopeless lunatics.—Mark Twain, ‘The Innocents Abroad,’ chap. li.
1882. Ker had whaled away, Bliss had sounded his nasal E flat, and Merrick had snorted and cavorted all around the case, but none of them had touched the evidence.—Washington Critic, Sept. 7 (Star-Route cases).
