Etymology
The term seems to be of uncertain origin with common assumptions suggesting it represents a contraction of "footwork" or a portmanteau of the words "twist" and "jerk". The Oxford Dictionaries blog says "the most likely theory is that it is an alteration of work, because that word has a history of being used in similar ways, with dancers being encouraged to "work it". There is evidence from ethnographic interviews in New Orleans that the term began as everyday street language in New Orleans concurrent with the rise of the local style of hip hop music known as bounce.
