Gandy Dancer - Etymology

Etymology

It appears that no one knows for certain where the term originated. A majority of early railway workers were Irish, so an Irish or Gaelic derivation for the English term seems possible. Some associate the word "gandy" with the sound of the Gaelic word "cinnte", which may be translated as "constant". Another possible meaning for the word cinnte, if this is the proper origin, is "certainty," i.e., the importance of the work to prevent trains from derailing, suggesting that the workers must do their "dance" in "constant rain or withering heat".

Others have suggested that the term gandy dancer was coined to describe the movements of the workers themselves, i.e., the constant "dancing" motion of the track workers as they lunged against their tools in unison to nudge the rails, often timed by a chant; as they carried rails; or, speculatively, as they waddled like ganders while running on the railroad ties.

Some have identified a "Gandy Shovel Company" or, variously, "Gandy Manufacturing Company" or "Gandy Tool Company" reputed to have existed in Chicago as the possible source of the tools from which gandy dancers took their name. Some sources even list the goods manufactured by the company, i.e., "tamping bars, claw bars, picks, and shovels." Others have cast doubt on the existence of such a company.