Tootled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Drove or moved along in a leisurely way while sounding a horn or whistle ; played a flute or similar instrument in a casual, unpolished manner
2. Went along blowing a horn or hooter as one travelled ; piddled about on a pipe or whistle without any real skill
3. Journeyed happily while tooting something loudly ; idly made music on a wind instrument in a carefree fashion

Etymology: "Tootled" is the past tense of "tootle," which is "toot" with the frequentative suffix "-le." That suffix turns a single action into a repeated or casual one, much as "twinkle" is a repeated "twink" and "sparkle" a repeated "spark." So "toot," a short blast of a horn or whistle, becomes "tootle," to sound such a horn again and again, or to move along while making such sounds. Over time the word lost much of its noisy edge. A person who tootled along in a car is now usually imagined as driving at an easy pace, with the horn tooting only occasionally, if at all. The sense of gentle, unhurried travel has largely overtaken the sense of the sound itself.

Synonyms: toot, honk, beep, hoot