tout
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: hobbies
horse-racing
horseracing
horses
lifestyle
pets
racing
sports
Etymology: From Middle English touten (“to jut out, protrude, gaze upon, observe, peer”), from Old English *tūtian (“to be sticking out, protrude”), related to Old English tȳtan (“to stand out, be conspicuous, shine”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tut(t)- (“to stick out, project”). Compare Icelandic túta (“a teat-like prominence”), tútna (“to be blown up”). Possibly influenced by dialectal toot (“to stick out; project; peer out; peep”), from Middle English toten, totien, from Old English tōtian (“to peep out; look; pry; spectate”). Compare also Old English tot, ġetot (“pomp, splendour, vainglory”).
Inflected forms:
form: touts
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: touts
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: touting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: touted
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: touted
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: Someone advertising for customers in an aggressive way.
pos: noun
examples: Be careful of the ticket touts outside the arena; they are famed for selling counterfeits.
Paul Muniment looked at his young friend a moment. 'Do you want to know what he is? He's a tout.'
'A tout? What do you mean?'
'Well, a cat's-paw, if you like better.'
Damn, he's a tout.
gloss: A person at a racecourse who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win.
pos: noun
examples: No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.
gloss: An informer in the Irish Republican Army.
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
examples: The Derry Brigade of the IRA thought it had got rid of its informer problem when earlier that year it executed Paddy Flood as a tout, after holding him for six weeks.
gloss: A spy for a smuggler, thief, or the like.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
colloquial
gloss: To flaunt, to publicize/publicise; to boast or brag about; to promote.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Mary has been touted as a potential successor to the current CEO.
China has touted its policy of non-interference for decades.
For the 75 years since a district rebellion was put down, The Games have existed as an assertion of the Capital’s power, a winner-take-all contest that touts heroism and sacrifice—participants are called “tributes”— while pitting the districts against each other.
Newspaper articles also were generally positive in tone, although a tendency towards sensationalism means that the spread of hybrid forms is occasionally touted as the universal language of the future.
gloss: To spy out information about (a horse, a racing stable, etc.).
pos: verb
tags: UK
slang
transitive
gloss: To give a tip on (a racehorse) to a person, with the expectation of sharing in any winnings.
pos: verb
tags: US
slang
transitive
gloss: To spy out the movements of racehorses at their trials, or to get by stealth or other improper means the secrets of the stable, for betting purposes.
pos: verb
tags: UK
intransitive
slang
gloss: To act as a tout; to give a tip on a racehorse.
pos: verb
tags: US
intransitive
slang
gloss: To look for, try to obtain; used with for.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: To understand the new London, I lived it. I slept rough with Roma beggars and touted for work with Baltic laborers on the kerb.
gloss: To look upon or watch.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
examples: Nor durst Orcanes view the Soldan's face, / But still upon the floor did pore and tout.
Synonyms: pimp
pitch
promote
spruik
Derived words: ticket tout
overtout
touter
Translations: