Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A layer of leather or wood added to raise the heel of a shoe; a lift.
  • noun A small amount of liquor remaining in a container or drinking vessel.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small piece of leather several of which together form the heel of a shoe; a lift. See heel
  • noun The small portion of wine or liquor left in a glass when the main portion has been drunk.
  • To add a piece of leather to the heel of, as a shoe or boot.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One of the segments of leather in the heel of a shoe.
  • noun A small portion of liquor left in a glass after drinking.
  • transitive verb To add a piece of leather to the heel of (a shoe, boot, etc.)

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A piece or wedge that raises the heel of a shoe.
  • noun dated A small amount of (especially alcoholic) drink remaining at the bottom of a glass.
  • verb transitive To add a piece of leather to the heel of (a shoe, boot, etc.).

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

heel +‎ tap

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Examples

  • The pilot who weathered the storm tossed off great bumpers of spiritual port; the shade of Dundas did not leave the ghost of a heeltap.

    Vanity Fair 2006

  • 'Toss it off, don't leave any heeltap, scorch your throat and be happy!'

    The Old Curiosity Shop Charles Dickens 1841

  • The pilot who weathered the storm tossed off great bumpers of spiritual port; the shade of Dundas did not leave the ghost of a heeltap.

    Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray 1837

  • "Toss it off, don't leave any heeltap, scorch your throat and be happy!"

    Old Curiosity Shop 1800

  • ‘Toss it off, don’t leave any heeltap, scorch your throat and be happy!’

    The Old Curiosity Shop 2007

Comments

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  • (n): a common dance term in my household where Appalachian clogging, Irish, Irish sean nos, Cape Breton, and English clogging percussive dance styles abound and are practiced regularly.

    January 18, 2009

  • Begob and sure 'tis a toe-tappingly terrific treasure chest of trash-talking and trembling terpsiceltean tomfoolery every Tuesday and Thursday over at the hernesheir household! Come one, come all! Percussive dance style need not be a barrier to your terpsichorean transformation.

    January 18, 2009

  • Sionnach: (in a word) YES! (but on M-W-F, not T-Th)

    January 18, 2009

  • Darn. You are ruining my alliterative scheme, sir!

    January 18, 2009

  • She studied with care that sediment.

    Let your kindness be no impediment:

    Tell if wine reveals traps

    That hide in heeltaps

    And what the diviner said it meant.

    July 16, 2014