Shindig

A shindig is a noisy dance party, an Americanism that dates from the late 19th century. The origin is obscure. Some source maintain it derives from an earlier word, shindy, which appears to have been a fight or a brawl. Other sources maintain that both these words may have derived from an even earlier Scottish game called shinty, which was a type of hockey. The connection to one’s shins seems well established because one can get a rap on the shins in dancing, fighting and indeed in hockey. Other than that, the origin still remains obscure except its first appearance in America during the late 1800s.