TouTou? TooToo? TuTu?
May 30, 2022 6:02 AM   Subscribe

Recently I heard a parent scold a misbehaving child: "Behave or you'll get a TooToo". What does that mean?

The family was white and spoke North American English. They may have had a mixture of Portuguese and/or Eastern European ancestry. Based on context, my guess was that it meant "a spanking". Of course it may have been a family-specific word, or it may have been from another language. So - any ideas? What does "TooToo" mean, and what language is it from?
posted by nouvelle-personne to Writing & Language (3 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Family word for "timeout"? With the double T?
posted by kimdog at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]


I can't resist linking to this wikipedia entry for "tutu" which I don't think exactly applies, but sort of, possibly? I got to it by searching for onomotopoetic words for "spanking" that have repeated syllables like that. I heard an eastern European relative threaten his kid with a "pom-pom," clearly meaning spanking. I think words like this could be simply made up or they may have a history, although I am not immediately finding history for either of these examples.
posted by BibiRose at 7:32 AM on May 30, 2022 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Tou-tou is Portuguese baby speak for a smack. It is fairly common for parents to physically punish their kids in Portugal.
posted by foleypt at 7:42 AM on May 30, 2022 [24 favorites]


« Older staying cool at night part 2   |   Viral load decline Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.