on 20/10/03 8:48 PM, pynchonoid at pynchonoid at yahoo.com wrote: > If the shoes have metal taps, they're not soft-shoes. So? The soft-shoe shuffle is still a tap dance. "DL had to stare down at her feet, like an amateur tap dancer." (103.29) The simile confirms DL's evasiveness in what has preceded, and her gesture here conveys embarrassment and regret. best