Let us tout being taught

December 23rd, 2008 at 07:00am Barry Wood

“Taut” is an adjective meaning “tightly stretched” (as a rope), “showing strain; tense” (as a taut smile), or “trim, tidy, well-disciplined, efficient, etc.” (as a taut ship).

A homonym is “taught,” the past tense and past participle of “teach.”

Almost but not quite a homonym is “tot,” a young child. Two other uses of “tot” are labeled by Webster’s as “chiefly British”: as a noun for “a small drink of alcoholic liquor” and informally as a verb for “to add; total,” usually with the preposition “up.”

None of the above should be mistaken for “tout” (rhymes with “shout”), which is most often used informally as a verb to mean “to praise or recommend highly” or “to solicit or importune, as for business.” In those senses, at least in this country, “tout” has moved beyond its association in England with spying on racehorses in training to provide tips for bettors.

For “tout,” its bettor nature is worse.

Entry Filed under: homonyms, word choices