isn't there an expression that is close to "cow-toe" that means tip-toe?

Answer 1

There is an expression "kowtow", if that is what you mean.

From Word-Detective:

"Oh, right, you had a question. To "kowtow" (both syllables rhyme with "cow") is to show obsequious deference to a figure of authority. "Kowtowing" goes far beyond simply acknowledging power or following orders. To "kowtow" is to pander to every whim of the big cheese, no matter how trivial or illogical.

The pejorative tone of "kowtow" in English is, however, a bit of a departure from its Chinese origins. The "kotou" (literally "head knock") in Imperial China was a ritualized gesture of respect and submission, usually performed before an official or at a shrine, consisting of kneeling and touching one's head to the floor or ground. Apparently there were more intense forms of the ritual observed a bit further up the social food chain, as a citation in the Oxford English Dictionary reports that "Not even the emissaries of the Pope could escape the Great Kow-tow -- the ceremony involving the three kneelings and nine prostrations before the throne of the Chinese Emperor."

First appearing in English in early 19th century accounts of China, "kowtow" soon took on its modern meaning of "to behave with obsequious deference." No doubt the Western view at the time of Chinese culture as exotic and alien influenced the negative connotation given "kowtowing" in English, but as rituals of respect go, the "kowtow" was arguably no more demeaning than kneeling before, or kissing the ring of, a European potentate. "

Hope this gives you the information you needed.

Answer 2

The expression is kow-tow, but it doesn't mean tip-toe. It's a posture of obeisance consisting of lying prone on the ground and wriggling like a worm, a lowly, menial bow (see how the slaves bowed to the king in Anna & the King of Siam, that is a kow-tow).