light heels, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

light heels n.

[her heels being so ‘light’, they fail to keep her from falling onto her back; underpinned by the 17C fashion for high cork, i.e. lightweight, heels in women’s shoes; being fashionable they were seen as encouraging immorality]

a fig. image of female promiscuity; also used as a nickname for a promiscuous woman or prostitute (cf. roundheels n. (2); short heels n.).

[1592		Greene Blacke Bookes Messenger 12: She could foyst a pocket well, and get me some pence, and lift nowe and then for a neede, and with the lightnes of hir heeles bring mee in some crownes].
1602		J. Cooke How A Man May Choose A Good Wife From A Bad Act III: Ile tell my Mistris as soone as I come home, that Mistris light-heeles comes to dinner to morrow.
1608		Dekker Honest Whore Pt 2 (1630) IV ii: Attach all the light heeles i’th Citty, and clap em vp? why, my Lord?
1618		Owles almanacke 9: Aries, the Ramme, gouernes the head: men whose wiues haue light heeles, are called Ramme-headed Cuckolds.
1623		Fletcher & Rowley Maid in the Mill II ii: Now Ladies fight, with heels so light, by lot your luck must fall, Where Paris please, to do you ease, and give the golden Ball.
1624		R. Davenport City-Night-Cap (1661) I 9: I that shews her light from head to heel, sir; [...] then whose wives have light heels.
1637		R. Brome Eng. Moor III iii: His wife, by whom he should had comfort [...] Should with her light heels make him heavie-headed.
1664		M. Cavendish CCXI sociable letters [Lady M.] [d]islikes the Poets Life, and wants a Poets Wit to build Poetical Castles; and so leaving her to her Little Wit, and Many Words, to her Gossiping-Life and her Light Heels, I rest: .
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 282: In a corner I met Biddy, / Her heels were light, her head was giddy, / But she fell down and somewhat did I.
c.1673		‘The Loving Chamber-Maid’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 448: For she is not fitting good counsel to keep, / With Light-heels her Mistress with Gallants does [cr]eep.
1680		Merry Milkmaid of Islington 11: Good Lady light heels, give your servant leave to practise the Trade you have taught her [...] come Wench, I like thy brown complexion, thou dost not paint, and art the likelier to be the wholesomer.
1815		(con. 18C) W. Scott Guy Mannering (1999) 345: The young man is the natural son of the late Ellangowan, by a girl called Janet Lightoheel.

In derivatives

light-heeled (adj.)

promiscuous.

1617		B. Riche Irish Hubbub 24: A Health ... to his light heel’d mistris.
1630		J. Taylor ‘A Bawd’ in Works (1869) II 94: His wife wearing Corke shooes, was somewhat light-heel’d, and like a foule player at Irish, sometimes shee would beare a man too many.
1640		Bride G: She is sure a light-heeled wench [F&H].
1659		Greene & Lodge Lady Alimony II vi: Yes, that’s the plague on’t, – lose a light-heel’d trull .
1662		M. Cavendish Playes 531: Mistriss Odd-Humour. I might be thought a Light-heeld wench; for light things fly, or ly upwards.
1696		Motteux (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) II Bk IV 233: The light-heeled deity saw that it was honest Tom.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 252: The very russet gown they found / That light-heel’d helen brought from Sidon.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Light heel’d [...] a light heel’d wench, one who is apt by the flying up of her heels, to fall flat on her back — a willing wench.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 137: This put the light-heel’d dame in mind / Of people she had left behind.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].
1976		E. Dahlberg Olive of Minerva 119: Imagine a gawk like Abel with a light-heeled jill who’s looking for easy gingerbread.