tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post4612511018380750813..comments2024-03-04T15:33:30.304+00:00Comments on Witter: Tut or tootAnn Cardushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06706862238428041940noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-46256446523353048402024-03-04T15:33:30.304+00:002024-03-04T15:33:30.304+00:00tut - things of poor quality - https://www.ldoceon...tut - things of poor quality - https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/tut#:~:text=tut3%20noun%20%5Buncountable%5D%20British,about%20the%20house%20being%20haunted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-9472508653515206942024-03-02T16:12:56.386+00:002024-03-02T16:12:56.386+00:00March 2024 and I am still trying to get to the bot...March 2024 and I am still trying to get to the bottom of the great tut/toot debate. I grew up in South London in 70s and 80s and the word was used regularly to describe a shop that sold cheap (and perhaps tacky merchandise) In my head it has always been spelt 'tut' so will stick with that until I am told otherwise đAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-2538384771831339182023-12-22T10:57:36.060+00:002023-12-22T10:57:36.060+00:0016 years since original post and someone is still ...16 years since original post and someone is still searching for the spelling of 'tut' / 'toot', I always use it in the context of a store full of rubbish as in souvenir or tut shop đAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-23456235620829668002023-10-17T03:45:10.034+01:002023-10-17T03:45:10.034+01:00I gree up in kent and tat meant rubbishy⌠toot pro...I gree up in kent and tat meant rubbishy⌠toot pronounced as in foot simply and clearly meant scrap metal. The word was commonly used in the 50,s, 60s, 70sâŚ. Particularly by travellers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-90839693023487867472023-08-09T01:25:34.663+01:002023-08-09T01:25:34.663+01:00I used this word at work and no one knew what I wa...I used this word at work and no one knew what I was on about, the main chap was from south London. I think I probably picked up the word from my grandfather who was from the east end. I would spell it toot, but pronounce it to rhyme with putAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-81815382500799998462023-05-04T07:56:42.132+01:002023-05-04T07:56:42.132+01:00In NZ and just used it with a friend who had never...In NZ and just used it with a friend who had never heard of it but Kiwi partner had as his grandad was from East End. My family were from Essex. CORhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15598194636292237762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-88206307885067745082021-08-21T08:39:05.261+01:002021-08-21T08:39:05.261+01:00I found this thread after saying 'toot' to...I found this thread after saying 'toot' to my boyfriend, and him replying don't you mean tat ?<br />It then made me wonder why he (family from Manchester) had never heard of toot. I'm from Essex and my family roots from Eastend and moved farther out to Essex from Whitechapel over the yearsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-34920248366369920552021-08-09T20:59:03.104+01:002021-08-09T20:59:03.104+01:00Dregeing this one up another year on, as its still...Dregeing this one up another year on, as its still the top result on Google for 'toot Essex slang'. My partner and I both use it or know what it means, but neither of us know how to spell it! She is from the Suffolk/Essex border but her dad was a fireman in Ilford/Romford and her grandparents were from estuary Kent. I am from Wiltshire but lived and worked near Chelmsford/Ongar for 6 years. <br /><br />Sounds to me like the East End connection is the right answer, although she has come to the conclusion that "t'ut" gets the pronunciation across best.<br /><br />This discussion all came about after I told her that a colleague of mine laughed at me today for using 'back along' to mean 'a while ago': Apparently that's a Dorset thing.<br /><br />(I also use the extra Somerset 'to' when talking about locations: "where's that to, then?". <br /><br />My mother (Oxfordshire) uses 'old boy' to describe any male over the age of about 16, which is a very Oxfordshire thing apparently....<br /><br />"I was asking this old boy where all the piles of t'ut had gone to...." đ Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02460109161121151575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-2186668580569962682021-01-18T18:03:36.203+00:002021-01-18T18:03:36.203+00:00This is the most meaningful reply Iâve seen I work...This is the most meaningful reply Iâve seen I worked the East Eand as a boy and still use the word today. My bosses were proper barrow boy gangsters and used the word all the time. âGo get some furniture at the tot shopâ clear all that tot! NickJaguarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437292131030794709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-40907516487715315252020-10-10T23:07:59.819+01:002020-10-10T23:07:59.819+01:00No, itâs not âtatâ. Please read the thread. In the...No, itâs not âtatâ. Please read the thread. In the part of the world âtutâ is from we use the word tat as well and it has a different meaning.Jackie Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10655744837421649852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-39326364890245211182020-10-10T22:04:06.070+01:002020-10-10T22:04:06.070+01:00https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/en...https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/tat Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-4019866715846852652020-10-05T10:24:05.913+01:002020-10-05T10:24:05.913+01:00tut as in put! From the old East-end London, and i...tut as in put! From the old East-end London, and in my case, from my Mother.<br />Isn't it strange that after all these years that there has been no <br /> correct spelling or rather what LOOKS correct in the written word?stripedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12075882538015598883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-1252821920954509842020-10-04T12:38:08.769+01:002020-10-04T12:38:08.769+01:00Lovely to hear that, Les. I was only thinking abou...Lovely to hear that, Les. I was only thinking about the word âtutâ yesterday - and then got the conversation update today from Witter. I love all the stories on this thread about generations of East End and Essex matriarchs declaring things âa load of old âtutâ, including the trinkets and figurines on some great auntâs mantelpiece. My American partner thought that âtutâ was a special word I had for all the stuff on the back seat of my carJackie Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10655744837421649852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-91573502862821332242020-10-04T09:02:55.845+01:002020-10-04T09:02:55.845+01:00What a fascinating set of comments! My family are ...What a fascinating set of comments! My family are from the East End of London and tut (sounds like put) was just a normal part of our vocabulary- and yes, usually as âa load of old tut â. It was a favourite word of my motherâs, and my generation used it all the time. My wife doesnât remember her family from Dorset using it, but probably picked it up at school in Dagenham (sheâs from Upminster). Our children and grandchildren who have been part of the diaspora (Oxfordshire, Cumbria, Wiltshire, Chester) donât use it (although I suspect they might recognise it in the context of a âtut shopâ). Another piece of passing history....Lesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-91133571733806718032019-11-30T07:04:43.568+00:002019-11-30T07:04:43.568+00:00This is a great thread . I never knew it was not a...This is a great thread . I never knew it was not a real word? I was looking how to spell it. I'm from Upminster, but family from East London. So I still don't know how to spell it . I thought toot, so I will go with thatAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11217523594083196708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-60769866585110275842019-11-15T15:35:18.817+00:002019-11-15T15:35:18.817+00:00Like Whistlejacket, I came across this thread whil...Like Whistlejacket, I came across this thread whilst searching for the correct spelling of "toot" (this how I would spell it) as I also wanted to include it in a text. I read with interest that this could be an east London saying/word, well, I grew up in Walthamstow (in the 50's through to the 70's) and it a word that I'm familiar with and have used many times e.g. to describe something as a "load of old toot", and I've been surprised that some people have never heard the word before. Maybe it is an east London thing?Terrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-64562250081269024912019-11-15T15:33:36.578+00:002019-11-15T15:33:36.578+00:00Like Whistlejacket, I came across this thread whil...Like Whistlejacket, I came across this thread whilst searching for the correct spelling of "toot" (this how I would spell it) as I also wanted to include it in a text. I read with interest that this could be an east London saying/word, well, I grew up in Walthamstow (in the 50's through to the 70's) and it a word that I'm familiar with and have used many times e.g. to describe something as a "load of old toot", and I've been surprised that some people have never heard the word before. Maybe it is an east London thing?Telnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-27769531926248853222019-09-06T14:13:42.834+01:002019-09-06T14:13:42.834+01:00Iâm Eastend born and bred, as is my father, going ...Iâm Eastend born and bred, as is my father, going back generations, and I have used the word that rhymes with put (soft t) all of my life, but until texting have never written it down. Itâs a disparaging term to describe poor quality, or of little use, âload of old...â, but is also used to dismiss an opinion, âwhat a load of old...!â Apparently âload of...â figures largely.<br />I too found this thread trying to check the spelling...can pronounce it, just canât spell it! Well, not satisfactorily anyway.Whistlejackethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18386757571841774038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-30209762760483740242019-08-30T16:20:28.294+01:002019-08-30T16:20:28.294+01:00I used it in an email to the entire office, here i...I used it in an email to the entire office, here in Devon, last week, asking them to clear out their, "toot". Nobody knew what I was talking about. I was born in Essex and have used the word all my life, in a lot of different places. It is now occurring to me that nobody ever had a clue what I meant! I naturally spell it, "toot", but have no idea if that is right or not (I hope so). Andynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-983966425432813562019-07-22T13:18:52.759+01:002019-07-22T13:18:52.759+01:00I'm from the East End too and our family have ...I'm from the East End too and our family have been saying it for donkeys! Toot (pronounced like put) doesn't mean rubbish, just 'stuff' or too much stuff. A load of old toot is just a way of saying there is too much stuff, usually of cheapish quality, but not exactly rubbish. So the totter could take it away and re-sell it for a bit of money. An example would be 'I don't shop in charity shops because, in order to get to the good stuff, you have to wade through a load of old toot'.AnnieBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-64507736955687383462019-05-11T00:58:33.786+01:002019-05-11T00:58:33.786+01:00'Toot' as in 'ankle 'n soot'or...'Toot' as in 'ankle 'n soot'or foot, my nana from the turn of the 20th century in the Old Kent Road lambasted the modern'tut' version because this is much later, referring to the discovery of King 'tut' Tutankhamun's Tomb only in 1922. (Possibly reinforced by the Suez crisis 1956-7. The word being much older in line with the Cockney tradition of 'totters' or old rag 'n bone men, looking for tott (silent second t) out in the street. She also emphasized that you can't buy it, as that would be 'tat', because it is judged as intrinsically worthless, or technically according to the pedants floccinaucinihilipilification.Panopticonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084821024575881921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-19278438137990133282019-01-04T21:41:58.543+00:002019-01-04T21:41:58.543+00:00Iâve come to the conclusion that this word was alw...Iâve come to the conclusion that this word was always verbal! From the dozens and dozens and dozens of comments on this thread, the consensus is that itâs a Cockney expression that spread out to Essex, parts of Kent and other Home Counties through the East London overspill of 60s and 70s. Itâs pronounced âtutâ to rhyme with put, and I would venture that the second t has never been pronounced! Replaced by a glottal stop!<br /> I did used to think it was from the French âtoutâ (all/ everything) brought to East London by Hugonauts, as RAJ suggests in comment above, But I am more convinced by the âtottersâ origin theory, which is in a dictionary of Cockney English I came across. Their âtottâ was stuff theyâd fish out of rubbish tips they thought valuable. Perfectly sums up the gently contemptful way we use the word for other peopleâs junk. I love some of the examples in this thread! Like the relative who used it to refer to everything on the family mantelpiece! <br />RAJ, I think the âtootâ youâre describing with long âoâsâ used elsewhere in the world is a different word.<br />Jackie<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-56784302677918288362019-01-04T17:46:54.424+00:002019-01-04T17:46:54.424+00:00Ha! I'm having exactly the same dilemma, I...Ha! I'm having exactly the same dilemma, I'm trying to write a story that features an East End/Cockney old lady, and I've typed the expression: "It's mostly a load of old tut" - but I've suddenly found myself wondering if other people would have ever heard of this expression. My family are from the Bermondsey area and they have always used it, meaning a load of old junk. We have always pronounced it 'Tut', (as in put), but I wonder if other people would read it as 'Tutt', as in but! But then if I type 'toot' they'll probably pronounce it like hoot or boot. What a conundrum! I suppose I could write a load of old tat, but it doesnt sound authentic to me. I think this is a Northern expression.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04019428140998273221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-91879812252503789212019-01-04T06:19:41.581+00:002019-01-04T06:19:41.581+00:00RAJ informs.... Sorry to add real confusion to t...RAJ informs.... Sorry to add real confusion to the matter but my understanding is that the word 'toot' (pronounced with long o's) in fact came from France probably in the 1600's when many left for Holland, Germany, Ireland and South Africa for religious convictions.The word 'toot' came to be used as a polite way of saying toilet.....sorry everyone but it was a common express-in within the entire family. It is not used within existing family conversations. AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2333396494559549059.post-6043000526743896932018-12-18T19:46:43.695+00:002018-12-18T19:46:43.695+00:00I have just googled this as used it in a text to m...I have just googled this as used it in a text to my Mum and she didn't know what I meant so I have no idea where I got it from!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06692535919205357188noreply@blogger.com