Times Quick Cryptic No 2916 by Joker

As Nicholas Parsons might once have said while presenting the radio show (and short-lived TV show) ‘Just a Minute’, “Now, Gyles Brandreth, you have thirty-seven seconds left ON ‘Geisha Girls’, and your time starts now“.

PLATOON is a 17th century word meaning “a small body of soldiers acting together but separate from the main body of troops”. It derives from French peloton “group of people,” or more literally, as the diminutive “little ball”, from Old French pelote “ball” – the English word ‘pellet’ derives from the same source.

POLITE meaning “polished” is a late 14th century word, from the Latin politus “refined, elegant, accomplished,” the past participle of polire “to polish, make smooth”.

The sense of “elegant, cultured” (of literature, arts, etc.) is from around 1500; and, of persons, “refined or cultivated in speech, manner, or behavior,” is by 1620s.

The meaning “behaving courteously, showing consideration for others” is by 1748.

The limbo dates back to the mid to late 1800s in Tobago. It was popularised during the 1950s, by Trinidadian dancer and choreographer, Julia Edwards (1933-2017).

As in, “We’ve finally got that old Hillman Avenger going/running. Should be worth at least £100“

The first permanent railway electrification in the world was that of the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway in Berlin, Germany in 1881.

The “act of twisting or wrenching,” comes from Old French contorsion and directly from Latin contortionem (nominative contortio), noun of action from past-participle stem of contorquere.

You can see torque “rotating force” from Latin torquere “to twist, turn, distort, torture” is also related. And since 1834, the word is also used by antiquarians and others for the twisted circular metal ornament (also as torc or torq) forming a necklace or collar worn by ancient Gauls, Britons, Germans and other barbarians.

CONTORTIONIST as “one who practices gymnastic feats involving contorted or unnatural poses” is attested from 1841.

The brown earthy pigment comes from the 1560s, from French ombre, or Italian ombra, both from Latin umbra “shade, shadow”. The central Italian region Umbria is from the same source, as is the English word for a hand-held, portable canopy which opens and folds – umbrella.

The phrase take umbrage at, attested by 1670s, and which originally meant “throw shade, subtly insult (something or someone)” is also related.

SCAMPI is the plural of scampo, the Italian name for the langoustine (Nephrops norvegicus, also called the Norwegian lobster). The Italian word may be derived from the Greek καμπή kampē (“bending” or “winding”).

I have this marked as a semi-&lit as while the whole clue is the wordplay, the final word ‘ultimately’ does not appear to belong in the definition. Feel free to disagree…