"dance on nothing" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dances on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dancing on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "danced on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "danced on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "dance on nothing (third-person singular simple present dances on nothing, present participle dancing on nothing, simple past and past participle danced on nothing)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1849, A. H. Baker, “Hang the Black Rascal”, in The Prisoners' Friend:",
          "text": "Oh! Do hang him-we have waited\nMany a day for such a chance;\nLet the hempen cord be baited;\nSee how gracefully he'll dance\nDance on nothing! oh, how funny![…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1831, David Erskine, James III […] :",
          "text": "I would much rather be here, my lady, than dancing on nothing in the Hanging-wood, near Parkend",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be hanged."
      ],
      "id": "en-dance_on_nothing-en-verb-EIDqrMik",
      "links": [
        [
          "hang",
          "hang"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, idiomatic) To be hanged."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dance on a rope"
        },
        {
          "word": "dance upon nothing"
        },
        {
          "word": "die by hanging"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dance on nothing"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dances on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dancing on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "danced on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "danced on nothing",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "dance on nothing (third-person singular simple present dances on nothing, present participle dancing on nothing, simple past and past participle danced on nothing)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1849, A. H. Baker, “Hang the Black Rascal”, in The Prisoners' Friend:",
          "text": "Oh! Do hang him-we have waited\nMany a day for such a chance;\nLet the hempen cord be baited;\nSee how gracefully he'll dance\nDance on nothing! oh, how funny![…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1831, David Erskine, James III […] :",
          "text": "I would much rather be here, my lady, than dancing on nothing in the Hanging-wood, near Parkend",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be hanged."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hang",
          "hang"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, idiomatic) To be hanged."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dance on a rope"
        },
        {
          "word": "dance upon nothing"
        },
        {
          "word": "die by hanging"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dance on nothing"
}