brewer45

Malkin and I ended up in Santa Cruz for the weekend. We're going for a toot on the redster tomorrow (Saturday). Suggestions? Accomplices?

Cheers!

TandemGeek

I've heard it used before and still don't quite get it...

toot (tt)
v. toot·ed, toot·ing, toots
v.intr.
1. To sound a horn or whistle in short blasts.
2. To make the sound of a horn or whistle blown in short blasts or a sound resembling it.
3. Slang To snort cocaine.
v.tr.
1. To blow or sound (a horn or whistle).
2. To sound (a blast, for example) on a horn or whistle.
3. Slang To snort (cocaine).
n.
1. A blast, as of a horn.
2. Slang A drinking binge.
3. Slang Cocaine, especially a small amount snorted at one time.
4. Slang Flatulence, as used in the schoolyard children's song

zonatandem

None of the above . . .
Some tandemmistas out west refer to tandem ride as a 'toot' . . . a colloquialism.

TandemGeek

Why?

Seriously, what's the etymology or inference.. or was it just a 'cute' way of differentiating a ride on a tandem vs. a bicycle?

brewer45

two together...
I picked it up from Rudy. It's all his fault.

toot!

Cheers!

zonatandem

Perhaps the word should be "TWOOT" . . . TWO (2) . . . O (on) . . . T (tandem)?!
On a single bike, folks go for a 'spin'; tandemers go on a toot . . . (or TWOOT?).
No worse than other words we use, like TandeMetric (Tandem Metric century) . . . or TWOgether.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudyand Kay/zonatandem

TandemGeek

True, but "spin" as a noun and a verb has been defined as a "fairly rapid ride" since the 1800's.

So, I guess what you're telling me is that 'toot' is a phrase that y'all coined for no particular reason? If so, that's fine...

Again, I was just searching for the origin of the word's usage related to cycling as I wasn't sure if there was a literary reference or perhaps even a local cycling story behind it, e.g., "John & Mary were a great couple to ride with but cycling gave Mary a terrible case of gas and she'd fart up a storm as they rode. In fact, instead of going for a ride everyone just started to call cycling with John & Mary a "going for a toot" as it meant they'd have a hard day in the saddle pulling all day, lest they endure the wrath of her gas."

BloomingCyclist

Now I'm curious too (I like words). I found the phrase "tandem toot" on a Davis bike club ride calendar on a google search. https://www.davisbikeclub.org/RideSch...pdf/Sep_07.pdf

I also came across a short item in a bike club newsletter from the year 2000 telling about a tandem couple where the stoker signaled the start of the club ride by tooting on a small train whistle.
https://members.aye.net/~siw/newslett...etter_2000.pdf
Part of the anecdote relates that the stoker blew the whistle but she wasn't on the bike and the captain took off. The lesson learned was that she shouldn't sound the whistle unless she was on the train. . I like the train image since the tandem is often pulling the train. So perhaps the pulling the train of bicycles could lead to a tandem ride as being called a toot.

There was / is an aerobatic biplane that is called "Little Toot" but I couldn't find out why it was named that although I think it is likely that is from the little tugboat character from Disney that is named "Little Toot."

Hopefully some others can remember when they first heard the term. Rudy, in what year do you think you first used the term? Then we'll see if someone's memory or reference can predate that.

Having fun reading on a somewhat cold (34 degrees F) and rainy morning in Bloomington, IN

zonatandem

Can't pinpoint the exact year as to when 'tandem toot' was first used; but guestimate at least 20+ years ago.
Our bike club (GABA: Greater Arizona Bicycling Ass'n) has listed 'tandem toot' on and off through the years in their monthly newsletter; GABA was formed 27+ years ago.
It is accepted terminology out west, although the origination of the term's obscure.
The wooden train whistle 'toot' has been used by some folks at the early Midwest Tandem rallies . . .
Long time tandemers Ray and Ellen Fisher, originally COWS from WisCOWsin (Oh-oh another one of those words?!), and now full time RVers, carried and used the wooden train whistle regularly at tandem events. Toot-toot!

vtrich

My Grand father used to go for a Sunday "toot" in his car. That was back in the very early early sixties, in an old Model A he had restored. He was using the word to describe the leisurely Sunday drive,...although I suspect it was really to get away from the grandkids. Then, coincedentally, years later, my father-in-law, would take us all for a "toot" around the harbor to look at the boats. So I guess I understood what the original poster was saying and I can imagine from my experiences, why the word would be used. Tooting, or puttering around in a launch,...or tooting or puttering around in an old car.
Rich

masiman

vtrich, was that in New England where they used the word?

vtrich

Hi Masiman,
New England for the boating reference,...specifically,...marblehead, ma,...but the car reference was
actually in Chicago.

masiman

Thanks, I was just curious if the West Coast usage pattern held or if there was wider trip usage.

Just this morning I was reading a fiction book and the author used "on a morphine toot". It is kind of along the drinking binge lines but there is an easy jump from that usage to a trip.