Mincing

Mincing appears in Isaiah 3:16 in the KJV as a description of the affected, dainty walk of the proud women of Jerusalem: they walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet. The Hebrew verb (tapheph) conveys the idea of short, tripping steps — an affectation designed to attract attention and display the ankle ornaments (anklets with bells) that the wealthy women wore. The passage is part of Isaiah's extended indictment of Jerusalem's vain luxury culture before the Assyrian crisis, cataloguing the elaborate jewelry and finery that would soon be replaced by mourning and deprivation.