A proper use of tout

At last! A proper use of a journalese favorite verb, tout. The Boston Globe page one, top story, Jan. 31, 2018, has this sub-head: “In state of the union, Trump touts accomplishments, economic progress.”

That’s right on. It’s the original use of tout, as Mike Feinsilber of the Associated Press writes in our journalese dictionary: “It is a nice, short lead word. But to some (read that: me) it has a tawdry, racetrack, carnivalish tone, maybe because it originally described the act of soliciting bets on a horserace.”

File under: Trump’s touts.