Tap Dance
Preserved but no longer current.
A quick-time dance in which the rhythm is beaten out on the floor with the dancer's toe or heel, or both alternately. On the stage shoes with a double sole are worn in order that the tap will be more readily audible.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tap Dance” mean?
A quick-time dance in which the rhythm is beaten out on the floor with the dancer's toe or heel, or both alternately. On the stage shoes with a double sole are worn in order that the tap will be more readily audible.
Is “Tap Dance” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.