Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to move lightly, blithely, unconcernedly.

1872		‘Mark Twain’ Innocents at Home 328: The Chinaman waltzed in as comfortable as anybody.
1874		Manchester Eve. News 14 Sept. 4/3: If he don’t stop trying to play roots on me, I’ll put a Mansard roof on him and make him waltz off on his eyebrow.
1880		Caldwell Post 13 May in Miller & Snell Why the West was Wild 232: Then the police waltzed in to add the finishing touches.
1880		Cornishman 12 Feb. 6/1: [He] would be hanged if the duffer didn’t put ’em in his pocket and waltz off with ’em.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Jan. 14/1: In the Steeplechase on New Year’s Day he cut out the work at so warm a pace that each of his four opponents came to grass, leaving the plucky son of Horatio to waltz in by himself.
1887		Lantern (N.O.) 2 Apr. 2: Out on the Mississippi Valley road when his girl waltzed up.
1889		Dly Gazette (Middlesborough) 7 Jan. 4/1: Such ‘accidents’ are annoying to the person who happens to bwe in the way when red-hot iron bars begin to ‘waltz around’.
1891		C. Roberts Adrift in America 205: All you have to do is put a good ‘front on,’ and waltz in with the crowd.
1895		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden Explains 67: Den he waltzes up t’ her and lifts his dicer.
1902		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden and Mr Paul 18: I has been waltzing about in brownstone society for years, now, but dere is one ting I can’t get wise on.
1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Sept. 26/4: You orter seen ther bloke wot they sent up ter sample ther show. Red ’ot, an’ a fair cow. ’E waltzes up ter the claim er day before we expects ’im.
1908		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘When Woman’s Tongue Wags’ Sporting Times 25 July 1/4: I suppose the old girl will be waltzing along, / And as usual making things hum?
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Nov. 47/2: Settled his hash, and Jim waltzed in an easy winner.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 302: Couldn’t loosen her farting strings but old cod’s eye was waltzing around her showing her how to do it.
1925		S. Lewis Arrowsmith 451: They had success which caused them to waltz solemnly down the corridor.
1933		Eve. Teleg. (UK) 3 Aug. 6/6: Being in a good-sized balloon is a magnificent experience [...] The earth’s surface is there in all its beauty [...] it does not waltz up at the you as it often does [...] in an aeroplane.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 23: He waltzes along an’ says he wants to take out additional insurance.
c.1939		B. Bennett ‘Doctor Goosegrease’ Billy Bennett’s Third Budget 16: He stands on his hands, like a kid on the sands, / And waltzes around in his nightie.
1943		R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 108: Get up tomorrow at half four, and waltz yourself down Billingsgate. [Ibid.] 159: She’ll waltz her arse out of it a sight quicker than what she come in.
1944		E. Wilson 16 Mar. [synd. col.] Sophie Tucker [...] waltzed out onto the floor at the Copacabana.
1953		A. Buckeridge Jennings’ Diary 132: But I can’t go waltzing off to the police station without permission.
1955		‘Blackie’ Audett Rap Sheet 83: Me and Sutton come waltzing into the place just as the teller was getting ready to close.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 204: Wally’s boys had waltzed away with the big peter as if it had been a kid’s money-box.
1961		M. Braly Felony Tank (1962) 32: God, Billy, did you just let him waltz out?
1969		A. Buckeridge Trust Jennings (1989) 33: You can’t do that! If you go waltzing off and leave it —.
1974		(con. 1960s) R. Price Wanderers 50: They waltzed in on a cloud of tranquilizers.
1977		(con. 1930s) S. McAughtry Sinking of the Kenbane Head 34: The opposing left-winger [...] waltzed up to Mart and did a fancy little dance on either side of the ball.
1984		D. Jenkins Life Its Ownself (1985) 54: But in we waltzed and there was Burt at the bar.
1985		J. Sullivan ‘To Hull & Back’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Come on Rodney we’ll waltz through the customs at Gatwick.
1996		J. Murphy Picture of Paradise in McGuinness Dazzling Dark (1996) Act II: If anyone thinks they can just waltz in here they’ve another think coming.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 40: Our Stephen’ll be all right on that score. He’ll waltz in.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] There’s no way I’d get away with waltzing back into Jouissance.
2008		R. Price Lush Life 18: All they did was waltz on in and there he was, on his knees .
2009		(con. 1960s) J. Ellroy Blood’s a Rover 19: Freddie O. waltzed over from the King hit.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] There I was, idiot, leaving the office unlocked so they could waltz on in.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 98: ‘You could waltz Delbert. We’ve got nothing [...] we can hold you on’.
2021		A. Parks April Dead 212: ‘Then he waltzes in this morning [...] all smiles and jokes’.

2. to move or to take someone or something.

1872		‘Mark Twain’ Innocents at Home 332: The thing I’m on now is to roust out somebody to [...] waltz him through handsome.
1910		Wash. Post 3 July 3/1: They waltzed him over to the Irish clubhouse and then gave him a ride in the pie wagon ter the Tombs.
1977		Ben-Veniste & Frampton Stonewall 217: [I]f any evidence incriminating the President turned up, Petersen would ‘waltz it right over’ to the House of Representatives.

3. to persuade someone.

c.1895

F. Norris Vandover and the Brute (1914) 228: I waltzed him right over when I began to speak of ready money, cash down.

4. to achieve something easily, esp. in sporting use.

1900		Sporting Times 19 May 1/3: For preserving a dignified gravity under the most trying circumstances Mr. Penley, or ‘Charles, his Aunt,’ easily waltzes off with the bun.
1904		Wash. Post (DC) 14 Aug. 4/3: All that I had to wait for then was th word that Rappahammock [a racehorse] had waltzed.
1941		B. Schulberg What Makes Sammy Run? (1992) 191: What’s the percentage in going down with the Guild when you can waltz into a set-up like that?
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 96: We never doubted we could waltz the caper.
2001		D. Jenkins Money-Whipped Steer-Job 75: Saturday I went out and holed almost everything I looked at [...] I waltzed past the three lurkers.

5. (US) to evade or deceive someone.

1970		E. Thompson Garden of Sand (1981) 151: Well, the truth is we were waltzing on the bill because we were busted.
1979		E. Torres After Hours 54: We waltzed a few circles first.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 22: The male pervs waltzed/ The female pervs went to jail.