dance of the seven veils

plural dances of the seven veils · alternative Dance of the Seven Veils · alternative veil dance · alternative seven-veil dance

1. idiomaticA striptease performance.

   If King had any wit he would have included a scene where a burka-clad Samantha performs the dance of the seven veils for one of her many smitten studs.

   2010 May 30, Peter Rainer, “Sex and the City 2: movie review”, in Christian Science Monitor, US, retrieved 27 Sep 2015

   1 more example

   And as for the next room, which was for the dances of the ‘Seven Veils’, I could not wait to see the mind-blowing performance! I joined the men in the queue and jostled my way into the room, seating myself on one of the rickety chairs.

   2010, Ron S. King, The Dreams of Neptune, →ISBN, page 143

   Synonyms: fan dance

2. broadlyidiomaticThe incremental disclosure of tantalizing bits of information.

   Mr. Putin’s succession and (likely) restoration is a leisurely dance of the seven veils in which one veil is dropped only for another to be donned.

   2009 January 11, Simon Sebag Montefiore, “In Russia, Power Has No Heirs”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 Sep 2015

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   "Testing the waters" is a veil for what candidates do in the years when it's too unseemly to be seen actually running for president. . . . But this veil is dropped when candidate and handlers believe the coyness has begun to cloy. And then the candidate's dance of the seven veils has begun.

   2006 December 5, Ron Elving, “Declaring for President is a Dance of Seven Veils”, in National Public Radio, US, retrieved 27 Sep 2015

   Every year around this time, staff and politicians take the first steps in the annual budget process — called the Dance of the Seven Veils in some quarters.

   2015 September 18, “Don’t panic about early city budget dance”, in Hamilton Spectator, Canada, retrieved 27 Sep 2015

   Synonyms: fan dance

plural Dances of the Seven Veils

1. alternativeAlternative form of dance of the seven veils.