tout - What does it mean?

Noun

(wikipedia) (en-noun)

Someone advertising]] for [[customer|customers in an aggressive way.

*1886 , , The Princess Casamassima .

*:Paul Muniment looked at his young friend a moment. 'Do you want to know what he is? He's a tout .'

*:'A tout ? What do you mean?'

*:'Well, a cat's-paw, if you like better.'

*:Hyacinth stared. 'For whom, pray?'

*:'Or a fisherman, if you like better still. I give you your choice of comparisons. I made them up as we came along in the hansom. He throws his nets and hauls in the little fishes—the pretty little shining, wriggling fishes. They are all for her; she swallows, 'em down.'

A person, at a racecourse, who offers supposedly inside information on which horse is likely to win.

* {{quote-book|year=1905|author=

|title= |chapter=2 citation |passage=No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts .}}