Meaning of tippy-tap | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A step that makes a clicking sound.
2. A light and rapid tap
3. 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.

Examples

“[…] she trots through the halls of her mansion jiggling in her frilly dresses and making tippy-taps with her high heels.”

“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.”

“Happily The Delaunay is a few tippy-taps away and lobster roll has joined the menu.”

“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.”

““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 Wallace”

“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.”

“He announced himself with tippy-taps across tile floors, scratched the bedroom and office doors when it was time to move⟳ along, huffed at all the trips he had to take⟳ up and down the stairs to keep⟳ watch⟳ over me and hovered hopefully anytime my husband was in the kitchen.”

“In the passenger seat, Ridley bounced in place⟳ like⟳ a dog doing tippy-taps.”

“This husky mix⟳ is as regal as her name⟳ – she’s also known as the queen of fetch⟳, the countess of cuteness and the duchess of doggy dancing (she does tippy-taps when eagerly awaiting a treat⟳ or game of fetch⟳).”

“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?”

“The rapid tippy-tap of his neighbor’s snare drum sounded, and Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” began.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.).”

CEFR level