I'm pretty sure that "twinkletoes" comes from sequinned dance shoes, including but not limited to tap shoes. : Here we are deep in colloquial connotations. Would a 12-year-old girl be offended? Not if she were a "princess girly-girl" (an insult that I heard issued with absolute scorn by a young girl on the train). Mind you, I can't imagine anyone turning to an adult and calling them twinkletoes, except humorously. On the other hand, the "twinkle" might refer to the rapid flicker of stars, which explains why my (not at all effeminate) workmate says that if I called him "twinkletoes" he would think it meant "fast on his feet and good at dancing. The urban dictionary has an entry for twinkle toes as "gay. : : : Does the "twinkle" in twinkletoes come from sequins on THOSE type of shoes? Or am I being influenced by the shoes of Fairy Twinkletoes (loved by millions). : : : : It was just a feet joke - don't forget to breathe. : : : : : If you equate effeteness with homosexuality, that's your problem - uh, I mean go to a nice dictionary and look up "effete." ~rb From IMDB: "An example of an improbable genre, this silent musical, released for Christmas 1926, makes an agreeable light entertainment, at least until it collapses into a subplot of virginity threatened." It's not heard much nowadays as a cheerful monicker for a dancer, but I've never heard of it having any offensive connotation, and certainly not because of any "effeteness." (Is this a code word?) : : : : : : Not, probably, the first use, but the use that likely inspired virtually all the others, is the movie, "Twinkletoes", starring Colleen Moore as an aspiring dancer. Even a little girl in a tutu might well feel insulted by it. : : : : : : : I don't equate dancing well with effeteness, but I find "twinkle-toes" offensive, being at once dismissive and cutesy. If you equate dancing well with effeteness, then that's your problem. : : : : : : : : "Light on your feet" means you are a good dancer. "Light in the loafers." But if it's, for example, a little girl in a tutu, it would be a good thing. And referring to a man as "twinkle toes" might be an insulting term for homosexual. : : : : : : : : : My guess: I think it means someone light on his/her feet. : : : : : : : : : : What does 'twinkle toes' mean? Can I call someone 'twinkle toes' without offending them? In Reply to: Twinkle toes posted by Smokey Stover on July 05, 2007
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