War tom-toms

Posted by ESC on December 28, 2004

In Reply to: Tom-toms posted by Bookworm on December 28, 2004

: : : Does any of you remember the phrase which has the word tom-tom in it and means to brag about something.
: : : I guess its something like "beating tom-toms about...".
: : : And also if I am not being too demanding, could you please include an example usage.

: : "Beat the drums for" is common enough, meaning to use publicity to stir up interest in something. Publicists are often called "tub thumpers."

: There's "toot your own horn" which means to announce one's achievements lest they go unnoticed. It's sort of like bragging, but the person does know he/she is doing it. One usually says "Not to toot my own horn, but..." then goes on to tell of their accomplishment.

"It strains credulity that Rice, a hands-on manager who goes by the nickname 'Warrior Princess,' would not have read the Iraq report in full at the time it was sent to the White House. Her boss was beating the war tom-toms pretty hard then."

• War tom-toms Smokey Stover 29/December/04