Toshing.

[Coaton]

I'm a Decorator from Warrington, Cheshire. Yesterday I bumped into Jimi Goodwin from one of my favourite bands - Doves.
He said to my mate and me 'have you been toshing?'
And I said what does toshing mean and he said it means painting!
So, I'm on here to try and find out where this term comes from.
Is it a Manchester thing? Is it an old thing? Help please brethren of the brush

 

[HERTS P&D]

Toshing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbicmq-WV1Y

Andy

 

[xr4x4]

Just tosh it on, yeah...painting..!

 

[dcdec]

Toshing is a bit of a derogatory term aimed at people that bash a job out cheaply with little care and prep, usually done by guys with little or know training (otherwise they'd be doing 'proper' work).
Thats my understanding of it anyway, i'm in the south and first heard the term whilst working in London.
Its a term i also tend to use when doing rentals for people that just want a freshening up, they arn't bothered about bells and whistles they just want it to look good for the next tenant.

 

[stevewestern]

Like dcdec, I too am from the south (London) so it may come from there.
There seemed to be a whole bunch of guys who would start work at 8.00, smoke endless roll-ups and be in the pub by late lunchtime having 'toshed out' a house or 3 and piece work was clearly well paid if you did it that way. I had some guys in to help paint a few flats - they turned up with all the half-empty tins of emulsion they could find, mixed them all into a dustbin and got as much on the floor as the walls and were more than slightly upset when asked why the colour wasn't a match for the magnolia I had - must have been the mixing machine they claimed....
I also heard it used in the same way as bumping - mixing undercoat and gloss in order to get the job done asap with little regard to the quality of the work.

 

[Nige F]

It`s been around since @ least the `60s. While my old dad was doing alright decorating the Newbuild Crawley ( a proper job ) The toshers would come round and tosh over the outsides of our Council house . I remember him coming home , smoking a Empire St. Julian roll up - and after a quick look @ the outside , make a derogatory remark about the toshers