toting

[toh-ting]

noun

Southern U.S.

1. the practice of taking home food from an employer by a person engaged in domestic service.

2. the food so taken.

Word History and Origins

Origin of toting¹

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; tote ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Five minutes later, the “Saturday Night Live” alumnus came back toting a fresh pack of Parliaments, which he handed to the co-host of “The Five.”

From Los Angeles Times

But Isaac is a literature guy, toting around a paperback of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago’s “Blindness” to underscore that neither one of them sees their mismatch clearly.

From Los Angeles Times

Its customers will receive some of their money back, but are still toting up their losses.

From Los Angeles Times

“It does bother me that somebody’s out there with intentions that aren’t right,” she said, toting two white puppies outside a building where she keeps them, a few feet from her home.

From Los Angeles Times

Guards, some toting firearms or less-lethal weapons, are now a common sight at schools, bars, retail stores and other venues.

From Los Angeles Times