subs. (provincial).—1. The Devil (prov. Eng.): see BLACK-SPY; and (2) a shiftless fellow, a good-for-nothing. Whence (American) ON A TOOT = ‘raising the devil’ (LELAND), ‘on a spree’ (BARTLETT).
1888. Harper’s Magazine, lxxvii. Oct., 801. Marsh Yates, the ‘shif’less TOOT,’ and his beautiful, energetic wife.
1900. LYNCH, High Stakes, xxxii. I’d never ’a’ carried ’em … if I ’adn’t been on a regular TOOT for the last week! It’s a fool’s trick to do.
See TOUT.
