tippy-tap meaning: definition, quotations

tippy-tap

noun

/ˈtɪpitæp/

A step that makes a clicking sound.

[…] she trots through the halls of her mansion jiggling in her frilly dresses and making tippy-taps with her high heels.1991, Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies, Picador, →ISBN, page 199, column 2:
But it was not to be, as Armbro Romance exploded out of the pocket and with a couple of tippy-taps from Campbell, the filly crossed the wire in an unreal 1:49.4, with Galleria a well-beaten second.1998 June 30, Mark Dudek, “On the Mark: Mark Dudek At Pocono Downs”, in The Times Leader, page 4C:

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Happily The Delaunay is a few tippy-taps away and lobster roll has joined the menu.2012 July 18, Fay Maschler, “Five Things Fay Ate This Week”, in Evening Standard, page 30:
I spent a good half hour trying to trap him between a sensible midsize family sedan and the lawnmower; I tried to lure him with treats; I played dead on the garage floor to see if he’d try to eat me. But he was wily and quicker on his tippy-taps than I expected.2019 December 20, Kayla Schmidt, “The young people of ND want change”, in The Bismarck Tribune, volume 145, number 354, page A10:
“I love my dog, there are several things I do to manage the dander and allergens to ensure she stays with me. When she greets me at the front door after a long day at work with a wagging tail and excited tippy taps it makes it all worth it”— Liz Wallace2020 February 21 – March 20, “Are You Allergic to Your Pet?: Breathe Easy”, in 35 West Magazine, Murray Media Group, page 6:
A wave of happiness is inevitable when you hear her dainty little tippy-taps as she makes her rounds around the back-of-house and says “hello” to staff with her big brown eyes and sweeping tail wags.2021 fall, Lindsey Cook, “Meet Emma!: Chief Happiness Officer”, in TIVOL, page 83:

A light and rapid tap

Why do TV news anchors always do that thing at the end of the show when they gather their papers in a neat pile, stand them on end and give them a little double tippy-tap?1997 May 6, Peter Stockland, “Take a seat and ponder the world”, in Calgary Herald, page A17:
The rapid tippy-tap of his neighbor’s snare drum sounded, and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” began.1997 October 29, Barbara J. Saffir, “Music students are upbeat”, in The Osceola Sentinel (an edition of The Orlando Sentinel), page 3:

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Then it’s the viola and sarangi title track, which is quite lovely, and the Barbie-oriental “Buddha of Compassion”, which travels on a dated ambient/big-beat TV-ad chassis. Only fools like me find themselves longing for the motorised tippy-tap of Jaki Liebezeit.2005 September 18–24, Nick Coleman, “Jah Wobble”, in ABC (The Independent on Sunday), page 16:
However, there is a wall clock directly above me, one of those with the sweeping second hand, a ticking guillotine to accompany the tippy-tap of the keyboard to feed another monster, the empty screen.2008 March 3, Rick Methot, “Without a clock, time really goes by”, in Lebanon Daily News, page 4A:

A gourd or small jerry can filled with water and attached to a piece of wood at ground level, such that stepping on the wood tips the gourd or can to release a stream of water through a small hole.

Based in San Luis Obispo, Lifewater focuses all its efforts on the countries of Ethiopia, Uganda and Cambodia, teaching people how to make water safer by building latrines and tippy-taps, a simple gadget used to wash hands with running water.2016 August 23, Doug Thompson, “Couple teach clean water importance in Ethiopia”, in Ventura County Star, page 4A:
After Peter’s attendance at a Peace Corps sponsored leadership camp, where the kids were taught how to build tippy-taps for hand washing, Peter was so energized when he returned to school that he formed a group, taught them about hygiene, and built six tippy-taps around the school.2021, Nancy Daniel Wesson, I Miss the Rain in Africa: Peace Corps as a Third Act, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Modern History Press, →ISBN, page 165:

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Some of the advantages of tippy-taps are as follows: it is easy to construct, it utilises very little water; it is easier to use and only soap is touched, thereby making hand washing very hygienic because it avoids contamination of the jerry can, unlike the real tap (Biran, 2011) (see Figure 2.2.).2023, Balwani Chingatichifwe Mbakaya, Hand Hygiene Practices in Schools: A Guide to Best-Practice in Developing Countries, Routledge, →ISBN:

tippy-tap

verb

To tap dance, or imitate tap dancing.

But to watch Errico tippy-tap into the same scenes that Kelly used to enter in a grandly aristocratic and delicious sweep; to hear Errico and co-star Randy Graff chirp drollery that Hepburn, Kelly and Celeste Holm used to fire off like Stinger missiles (jus hearing Hepburn say “Oh, goody” made a wonderful theatrical evening for me); and to listen to the nice Daniel McDonald (as C.K. Dexter Haven) and Errico sing “True Love” when that unconquerable love ballad had its numbers retired half a century ago by Crosby and Kelly – is to cry.1998 June 4, Michael Kilian, “‘High Society II’ can’t bear original”, in The Sacramento Bee, volume 283, page F2:
At Rainbow Park Elementary in Opa-locka, fourth graders tippy-tap in front of a wall of mirrors on a dance floor that would be the envy of most professional studios.2000 July 2, Gail Meadows, “Culture Class”, in The Miami Herald, 97th year, number 292, page 12M:

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Alas, too often the Eagles wide receiver reacts as though he has been asked to dance. He tippy-taps in place, placid, compliant.2000 September 19, Bill Lyon, “Eagles can’t catch the ball…”, in Lancaster New Era, 124th year, number 38,636, Lancaster, Pa., page C-6:
Wow, I could tippy-tap with excitement at the thought!2023 February, PawPrints:

To tap lightly.

I have always envied the starch in their shirts and the clean fingers they use to tippy-tap their computers and develop weird schematics while their fake Rolex wristwatches glitter.1997 August 3, Leonard Bishop, “Things to do on my return”, in The Manhattan Mercury, Manhattan, Kan., page D3:
He hands me one rod and grabs the person closest next to me—Wendy, in this case—and shoves the second rod in her hand as he gleefully tippy-taps his fingers on the knobs of this contraption box resting against his ample belly.2002, Ron-Luc Nickell, Send in the Cones: The Cruise Ship Letters, Austin, Tex.: 10-4 Communications Press, published 2006, →ISBN, page 74:

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Because swimming-hole water has substance: Pine needles tippy-tap your thighs, and tiny fish nip the hair on your legs.2004 July 6, Bob Sipchen, “Will float for food”, in Los Angeles Times, page F5:
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is sitting in a parking deck behind the wheel of his awesomely sweet, kick[buttocks] Audi A8 when this baby doll of a young lady with a bare midriff tippy-toes over and tippy-taps his window and goes, Help, help, my tire’s got a flat.2005 September 9, Jordy “Ray” Purlky Jr., “A bald guy, babes, fast cars — what’s not to love here?”, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, volume 57, number 252, page H6:
We text, we tweet, we tippy-tap e-mails on our hand-held devices at length, but we rarely chat to each other about the weather, the political state of play, the latest TV sitcom or the outrageous price of housing/gasoline/food/ferry fares.2011 April 9, Ian Haysom, “Here’s to a little chit-chat during surgery”, in Times Colonist, 153rd year, number 101, Victoria, B.C., page A14:
They’re happy when they can tippy-tap on their phones and order artisanal T-shirts from Etsy, so we’re getting out while we can.2018 April 23, James Lileks, “Do we buy into the department stores’ end?”, in Star Tribune, volume XXXVII, number 19, page E3:

Related terms: tippy-tappy