Economic Nationalist “touts” vocabular analysis
There is not much in a word, maybe, but what do these recent news headlines have in common?
- Barbour touts election success for GOP.
- Richmond Co. officials tout anti-bully policy.
- Obama touts support from AMA, AARP as health care vote draws near.
- Pawlenty touts his ability to rein in spending.
- Jeep ads to tout new look.
These news headlines share a transitive verb, to tout, whose peculiar characteristic seems to be that one practically never meets it anywhere but in news headlines. Maybe the English use the verb normally—I wouldn’t know—but the headlines in question are American. Have you ever once heard an American use the verb to tout in ordinary speech? Do the editors who write the headlines even use it, except when writing headlines?
Just curious.
HJH
November 8th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
My Dad used to use this word in conversation from time to time. He had a very large vocabulary and used many, many words that most people do not use.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I see. We shall tout your Dad, then!
Your news does improve my attitude toward this verb.