tick-tacker

n. at a horse track, a person (often a tout) who communicates information to others by hand signals. Subjects: English, Sports & Recreation, Slang

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Citations: [1926 Bert E. Collyer Washington Post (Aug. 6) “Collyer Gives Sprinter Chance” p. 14: The lads who fondle the ticktack clocks—when most of us are warming feathers—slip me this as the “best sprinter at Coney Island.”] 1988 Steve Crawley Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia) (May 1) “How Two Fingers Strode The Turf” p. 110: They were the days of meat pies and trams, of the Flat and the Leger. Tick-tackers. “You could sit on the sidelines and watch forever,” said Bert. 1995 Max Presnell Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (June 23) “Just Like A Day At Manchester, And Look What Happened To It” p. 60: Perhaps the tick-tackers—sharp little blokes with white gloves who conveyed betting information with their hands from vantage points—and a few other key ingredients were missing, but the feel was similar.…Tick-tackers were tolerated on British tracks long after being barred in Australia because the racing over there needed the custom. 2004 Max Presnell Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (June 24) “Randwick’s last tout: nine tips but none the winner”: Tick-tackers lasted longer. Usually wearing white gloves for better visibility, tick-tackers conveyed prices from one enclosure to another by hand signals.

Posted 26 Jun 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend