English
Alternative forms
Noun
soft shoe (uncountable)
- (performing arts) A kind of tap dancing performed in soft-soled shoes, popular in vaudeville.
- 1966 Jan. 15, "Sunday (TV listings)," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 19 (retrieved 5 Oct 2008):
- Between Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Newley there's a delightful exhibition of the dances and their origin dating gack a few hundred years, from the clog to the buck, the wing, and the buck and wing, and on to the old soft shoe and more.
- (idiomatic) A speech, explanation, sales pitch, or other set of remarks delivered in a restrained or conciliatory manner in order to persuade, distract, or otherwise influence someone.
- 2001 Nov. 26, Adam Piore, "Red, White And What A Deal!," Newsweek (retrieved 1 May 2014):
- Is the salesman's soft-shoe appropriate in a time of national mourning?
Usage notes
- Often used in the expression "the old soft shoe."
Adjective
soft shoe (not comparable)
- (usually hyphenated) Of or pertaining to this kind of dancing.
- (idiomatic) Casual, low-key, easy-going.
- 1958 Oct. 6, "Mellow Man in Charge," Time (retrieved 5 Oct 2008):
- Occasionally criticized for his soft-shoe approach (e.g., he urged the President to avoid a public squabble with Joe McCarthy), Persons nonetheless won many a legislator over to the Administration side.
Verb
soft shoe
- To perform a dance of this kind.