pogo

pogo — noun

1. a style of energetic dance first popular in punk rock concerts, where the dancer

1.nounB1
Definition

a style of energetic dance first popular in punk rock concerts, where the dancer repeatedly jumps straight up and down keeping both legs together and stiff

Example

At the punk concert, friends started doing the pogo in front of the stage.

collocation: do the pogo

Élise loved the energy of the pogo, though her knees ached the next morning.

Common collocations
  • do the pogo
  • dance the pogo
  • crowd's pogo

Grammar Patterns

the pogo

do the pogo

Usage Note

This term refers specifically to the dance style named after the pogo stick toy. The dance is closely associated with punk rock music from the late 1970s onward.

2. a small supporting wheel fixed to the underside of an aeroplane's wing that stop

2.nounC1
Definition

a small supporting wheel fixed to the underside of an aeroplane's wing that stops the wing from hitting the ground while the plane is on the runway

Example

The ground crew checked the pogo under the left wing before the plane taxied out.

collocation: check the pogo

A damaged pogo can cause the wingtip to scrape against the runway surface.

Common collocations
  • check the pogo
  • inspect the pogo
  • damaged pogo
  • replace the pogo
Synonyms
  • wingtip wheel

    more common in everyday language; 'pogo' is the technical term used by aviation professionals

Grammar Patterns

the pogo

a pogo

Usage Note

This term is used mainly in aviation maintenance and by ground crew. In everyday conversation, 'wingtip wheel' is more common.

pogo — verb

Word family

  • pogo stick
    nounB1
  • pogoer
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Pogo, moshing, slam dancing, and skanking are all energetic dance styles found at live music events, but they differ in movement and music association. The pogo is the simplest — the dancer jumps straight up and down with legs together, keeping the movement mostly vertical and staying in one spot. Moshing involves pushing, shoving, and running into other dancers in a circle, common at metal and hardcore shows. Slam dancing is similar to moshing but tends to be more aggressive and is typical of early hardcore punk. Skanking is associated with ska and reggae, featuring a kicking motion and arm swinging that alternates from side to side. At a typical punk gig, you might see pogo dancers near the stage and moshers in the middle of the crowd.

pogo ↗moshingslam dancingskanking

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • do the pogo
  • dance the pogo
  • start to pogo

Prepositions

Etymology

English

The word 'pogo' is a shortened form of 'pogo stick', a toy trademarked in the early twentieth century. The toy's name may have come from the name of a man named Pogo or from a reference to the Pogo people. In the 1970s, London punk fans named their straight-legged jumping dance after the pogo stick because the motion looked like bouncing on the toy. Later, aviation engineers used the same word for the small wheel under an aircraft's wing, which resembles the toy's single leg.