Where did the word "TOUT" come from

[Goomba]

Why are handicappers called touts?

 

[sherman]

i'd be interested to hear the answer to this....

post this in the main forum, you'll get some answers.....

 

[Journeyman]

Moved to OS for more discussion.

 

[xpanda]

'Cause it's the definition:

v. tout:

1. To solicit customers, votes, or patronage, especially in a brazen way.

2. To solicit or importune

 

[IGAMBLER]

A tout will hold you by your lapels.

 

[wmublows]

1. Chiefly British. One who obtains information on racehorses and their prospects and sells it to bettors.
2. One who solicits customers brazenly or persistently: “The administration of the nation's literary affairs falls naturally into the hands of touts and thieves” (Lewis H. Lapham).
3. Chiefly Scots and Irish Slang. One who informs against others; an informer.

 

[blueedwards]

touts will say touty things like "take your man down...you can not lose!"

 

[CAPNCRUNCH]

Moved to OS for more discussion.

Move it back, PLEASE!

 

[tryingtofade]

http://www.word-detective.com/back-b2.html#tout

"Tout," on the other hand, has a far more roundabout origin. The prehistoric Germanic root of "tout" meant "something that pokes out," especially "a funnel or spout." From this rather vague beginning, the word gradually shifted its meaning by the 18th century from "something that pokes out" to mean "someone who pokes into things" -- in other words, a spy. A "racing tout" was a spy who surreptitiously observed the training of racehorses in the hope of gleaning valuable information which could then be sold to bookmakers. In many cases, the "tout" and the bookmaker were one and the same, and racetracks were usually rife with platoons of "touts," each claiming to have inside information on the condition of the horses. Over time, the verb "to tout" came to mean "loudly promoting one's business or product," especially in an annoying fashion.

(my bolding - sums up most touts)