Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Slang A professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.
Wiktionary
- n. US, slang A professional dancer, particularly one who has paid his or her dues
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Show business slang a professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a professional dancer
Etymologies
- hoof + -er (Wiktionary)
Examples
“It riffs on some other fundamental parts of the tap dance tradition, including the familiar shaven haircut and what's known as a hoofer's line.”
“The one on the left is a "hoofer" (Points = 5) and the other is a "razorback" (Points =”
“You're light on your feet for a hoofer, Twinkletoes.”
“So I can vouch for his genial generosity, wise humanity, and the glint in his eye with which he would, with reasonable content, have surveyed Wales's sometimes fetching performance in last month's World Cup, although the old hoofer would have snorted at their pathetic goal-kicking.”
The Guardian: Tons of reasons to support the monarchs of sport | Frank Keating
“Strapping, handsome, lithe, with a killer smile, he's an actor who shows great range here, whether embodying the regret of a man whose life has disintegrated before his eyes or transforming into the loose-limbed hoofer that Valentin can be.”
The Huffington Post: Marshall Fine: Movie review: The Artist
“It is said hoofer Fred Astaire threw his new custom made fine cut English suits against the wall repeatedly to "knock the newness out of them".”
The Huffington Post: Roger Stone: StoneZone's 2011 Best and Worst Dressed
“When the youngest son (Johnnie Ray) decides to become a priest, his father (a long-time vaudevillian and hoofer) reacts as negatively as some men do upon learning that their son is gay.”
“All the showbiz cliches about the unknown plucked from the chorus to become an overnight sensation are here in the tale of small-town hoofer Peggy Sawyer, who arrives on Broadway with stars in her eyes and gets a lucky break that changes her life.”
“Don't and you maintain a valid voice in politics, wrote another, who has yet to appreciate the enormous exposure a political figure enjoys if he or she plays hoofer for the enjoyment of the more than 20 million people who watch this competition series.”
The Washington Post: Larry King's live comedy tour. Yes, really.
“And Ellen Harvey has a blast as Miss Jones, especially with her warbling on "Brotherhood Of Man" inserted perhaps to give some vocal spark to the big dance finale in which Radcliffe shined as a hoofer but obviously could not belt out over that chorus.”
The Huffington Post: Michael Giltz: Theater: Daniel Radcliffe "Succeeds" on Broadway
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘hoofer’.
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Vaudeville
The show must go on . . . .
vaudeville, dumb act, Polite Vaudeville, hoofer, flop, gag, cakewalk, top banana, second banana, Orpheum Circuit, play the Palace, The Palace and 55 more...
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Dancer Dancer
ballerina, prima ballerina, hoofer, stepper, kachina, chorine, danseuse, danseur, danseur noble, premier danseur, salsero, danceress and 20 more...
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1920s Slang
Definitions to be added where necessary
spifflicated, flapper, dame, applesauce, bee's knees, bum's rush, hoofer, gams, glad rags, necking, upchuck, blotto and 18 more...
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Hollywood Speak
From Uncle John's Unsinkable Bathroom Reader:
"The entertainment industry trade journal Variety has a 'slanguage' all its own. To assist the 'aud,' here's a glossary to help make sense...crix, meller, click, b.o., sprocket opera, blurb, perf, tubthump, ayem, ankle, mouse, lense and 25 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for hoofer.

mshalston dancer Feb 2, 2007