Brewer's: Cotillon

(co-til'-yon) means properly the “under-petticoat.” The word was applied to a brisk dance by eight persons, in which the ladies held up their gowns and showed their under-petticoats. The dance of the present day is an elaborate one, with many added figures.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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