The boy turns into a dog and bow-wows—a cock, he flaps his wings and crows—a cow, he fetches a long drawn moo—a horse broke loose, he curvets, prances and kicks fearfully among his nursery blocks—a big bull, he waxes dangerous as he bellows and paws the carpet—a locomotive, he blows his steam whistle and dashes round the nursery with puffs and yells spasmodic, or taming down, sticks a feather in his cap and struts a soldier.

Gaily the grey horses curvetted to their destination at the church-gate, a laughter in the whole movement.

Firelily, under him, seemed sexually aroused, she curveted and frolicked so about the line of march, covering five miles to the prisoners’ one.

[…] I could no more travel the same Path, again and again, than I could have Patience to mount a managed Horse, in the Riding-House, and curvet it in the same Spot, for three Hours together.

[…] the upright leaden spout, curveting its liquid filament into [the well], is merely a representation of what the gardener himself, if called upon, could do better and more abundantly.

The west wind was the music, the motion, the force / To which the swans curveted, a will to change, / A will to make iris frettings on the blank.

Bank swallows are skimming above the stream, snatching insects, curvetting, rocketing up against the dying light.

He curvetted back into the living-room […]

It is not possible, many critics allege, that Juana Inés could have lived in the whirlwind of the court for five years […] and have emerged unscathed. I have already said that it would be absurd to discount the possibility of some curvetting and amorous play.

The earth shook itself like an animal on whose back a predator has lodged. It spasmed, curvetted, tossed and writhed, to throw that malignity from its shoulders.

Curvet

Meaning

Verb

Noun