The Origin—and Evolution—of the Phrase 'Trip the Light Fantastic'
Today , thanks to the movieMary Poppins Returns(2018 ) , the phrasetrip a little lite fantasticmight conjure images ofdancing chimney sweeps . But this colloquialism has strayed quite a scrap from its semantic origins . While it has always mention to nimble , fleet - footed dancing , the imagery link up withtrip the lightsome fantasticis a issue of profound disagreement . English poetJohn Milton(1608 - 1674 ) , best lie with for his scriptural epicParadise Lost , popularized the phrase in 1645 when he included it in one of his minor verse form , “ L’Allegro ” ( “ The Happy Man ” ) ....