# What is that... like a kind fart? ((Dumbest Pit Thread Ever)) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 18, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625 "2002-07-18T15:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Simetra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Simetra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simetra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/1 "2002-07-18T15:30:00Z")
\ It got eaten. Here’s the original post: > [@](#): > > I see it all the time. When people type it I wonder if they’re trying to be pedantic or just trying to use a catch phrase and don’t know how to spell it. > > It’s not the biggest issue, and is in the running for least important. > > It’s not **Toot Sweet**. It’s **Tout de suite**. It’s French. It means immediately. But I’m sure you knew that. > > I looked in two slang dictionaries as well as [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) and [m-w.com](http://m-w.com) to see if there was some kind of “Americanized” spelling of it like Toot Sweet… or Tood Suite. ((Yes, I’d like to stay in the Tood Suite.)) I can’t find one. > > So here, I’m begging you… It’s _tout de suite_. Please start using it, because “Toot Sweet” is driving me up the wall crazy. Ugh… it’s just… argghhh. It really really bothers me. > > \ ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/2 "2002-07-18T15:32:16Z")
Silent but deadly? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/3 "2002-07-18T15:34:21Z")
(My post was funnier when the OP was missing, damn you!) ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/4 "2002-07-18T15:34:35Z")
This is one of the best Pedant rants I’ve read. My 4-year-old son defined a “toot” as “when your butt coughs”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/5 "2002-07-18T15:40:48Z")
Right up there with toot sweet is “Walla” - at first I thought people who used it were trying to be funny - then I realized they hadn’t a clue… ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/6 "2002-07-18T16:03:31Z")
People who say “walla” or “wah-lah” - well, let’s say I’ve not met one yet who’s familiar with the concept of “French borrowings.” However, I’ve been known to say “toot sweet”, **in jest** - and I don’t think I could be accused of being _inculte_ when it comes to the _langue de Molière_. Besides, the Master did it in his column on sparking Life Savers. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/7 "2002-07-18T16:16:34Z")
Incorrect. **Toot Sweets** are candy whistles made by the Dick Van Dyke character is ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/8 "2002-07-18T20:54:45Z")
Guilty as charged of using Toot Sweet. I think I started using it after hearing Ira on _Mad About You_ say it. It just sounded funny to me. I know what it really should be. I took 4 years of French that I don’t remember. But it’s funny, so there! But since I have my own nitpicky things, too, I see where you’re coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/9 "2002-07-18T21:00:43Z")
Re the OP: ::applause:: Now can we talk about another term that gets mangled regularly? It’s AD NAUSEAM. Not “ad nauseum,” like “museum.” Tenkyouveddymuch. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/10 "2002-07-19T04:25:25Z")
I never use it, but then I had no idea. Is ignorance a good excuse? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/11 "2002-07-19T06:35:40Z")
Yes Sir! I’ll stop saying “Toot sweet” toot sweet. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/12 "2002-07-19T07:30:38Z")
For all intents and purposes. Not for all intensive purposes. Not intensive porpoises either, leave the deep thinking dolphins out of it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/13 "2002-07-19T07:43:29Z")
And this post is a non sequitur. Not a non sequitor. ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/14 "2002-07-19T08:04:54Z")
Although, strictly speaking, it’s neither of them. Although this post is, rather. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/15 "2002-07-19T09:35:51Z")
Integral part. Not “intricate”. “Integral”. Don’t make me say it again. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/16 "2002-07-19T11:29:45Z")
You’re taking it for **granite** that people know the phrase is French. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/17 "2002-07-19T19:07:03Z")
They must not have a rock solid grasp of the eglish language. Or French, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/18 "2002-07-20T05:26:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > \*\*Re the OP: ::applause:: > > Now can we talk about another term that gets mangled regularly? > > It’s AD NAUSEAM. Not “ad nauseum,” like “museum.” > > Tenkyouveddymuch. \*\* Now I WAS going to pit you Scarlett for the sheer stupidity of correcting those who use ‘ad nauseum’ when it is IN FACT the accurate spelling. Then I decided to check the dictionary, and… I ever-so-humbly apologise for my mis-placed arrogance! All these years I have smugly thought I was pretty-bloody-shit hot when it came to spelling and language skills, and dammit, I’M NOT. That’s what I love about this board. You learn something new every day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/19 "2002-07-20T06:51:39Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Homebrew_ > **My 4-year-old son defined a “toot” as “when your butt coughs”.** When my younger brother was a toddler and in his “learning and inventing words” phase, he called them “butt whistles.” ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625/20 "2002-07-20T18:05:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Manduck \* > \*\*Integral part. Not “intricate”. “Integral”. Don’t make me say it again. \*\* AMEN!!! And the word is not “inTREgal” either! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-like-a-kind-fart-dumbest-pit-thread-ever/119625.md?page=2)