soft-shoe

Noun

soft shoe (uncountable)

1. (performing arts) A kind of tap dancing performed in soft-soled shoes, popular in vaudeville.
   • 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.1966 Jan. 15, "Sunday (TV listings)," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 19 (retrieved 5 Oct 2008)
2. (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.
   • Is the salesman's soft-shoe appropriate in a time of national mourning?2001 November 26, Adam Piore, “Red, White And What A Deal!”, in Newsweek, retrieved 01 May 2014

See all 5 meanings of soft shoe