heeltap

[ heel-tap ]

/ ˈhilˌtæp /

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noun

a layer of leather, metal, or the like in a shoe heel; a lift.

a small portion of liquor remaining in a glass after drinking or in a bottle after decanting.

dregs, sediment, or residue.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heeltap

First recorded in 1680–90; heel¹ + tap¹, tap²

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

How to use heeltap in a sentence

Zack was teeming with mirth—abetted, no doubt, by a heel-tap or two from the Colonel's retiring goblet.
Sunlight Patch|Credo Fitch Harris
I think we are somewhere in the Atlantic; but your finding that heel-tap does puzzle me.
The Land of the Changing Sun|William N. Harben
“A great loss,” he would say, with a sad shake of his head, as he turned off the heel-tap.
Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2)|A Sexton of the Old School
Sir Moses, who had had about enough wine, filled on a liberal heel-tap, and again passed the bottle to his guest.
Ask Momma|R. S. Surtees

My summons came when we had shared the heel-tap of the bottle.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for heeltap

heeltap

/ (ˈhiːlˌtæp) /

noun

Also called: lift a layer of leather, etc, in the heel of a shoe

a small amount of alcoholic drink left at the bottom of a glass after drinking

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