heel-and-toe

[ heel-uhn-toh ]

/ ˈhil ənˈtoʊ /

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adjective

noting a pace, as in walking contests, in which the heel of the front foot touches ground before the toes of the rear one leave it.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of heel-and-toe

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby heel-and-toe

heed, heedful, heedless, heehaw, heel, heel-and-toe, heel-and-toe racing, heelball, heel bar, heel bone, heel breast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heel-and-toe in a sentence

Fifteen miles of stiff heel-and-toe walking had been flung behind him.
The Yukon Trail|William MacLeod Raine
But these methods have been rendered obsolete by the heel-and-toe technique of the playerpiano.
Bizarre|Lawton Mackall
Her feet made a flat all-heel-and-toe sound as she went up, very emphatic.
The Co-Citizens|Corra Harris
The manner in which "heel-and-toe" was employed and varied, some abler historian may record.
Bits of Blarney|R. Shelton Mackenzie

This produced the heel-and-toe action treadle, a familiar part of the sewing machine until its replacement by the electric motor.
The Invention of the Sewing Machine|Grace Rogers Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for heel-and-toe

heel-and-toe

adjective

of or denoting a style of walking in which the heel of the front foot touches the ground before the toes of the rear one leave it

verb

(intr) (esp in motor racing) to use the heel and toe of the same foot to operate the brake and accelerator

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012