ootsie?

[Mark A Mandel]

#>         [Towse]
#> #>>"ootsie" in this context probably means "gooey inside."
#> #>>"ootsie" is the inside of a Tootsie Roll.
#>
#>         [Larry Horn]
#> #Judging from google, it may have been an innovation of the Tim Eyman,
#> #but the "gooey inside a la Tootsie Roll/Pop" interpretation seems the
#> #opposite of the contextually plausible meaning here, i.e. 'guilty,
#> #uncomfortable'.

        [Mark Mandel, round 1]
#> Funny, I didn't see that as opposite at all, on the basis of associating
#> "gooey" with 'unsteady, squishy, wobbly --> queasy'. You seem to be
#> associating it with 'soft and sweet'. That works too, in the abstract.
#> Anne, do you have any more of the context to indicate whether the
#> writer, Eyman, was invoking positive or negative connotations?

        [Anne Curzan]
#Here is the full e-mail from Tim Eyman, as quoted in the Seattle Times:
#
#"On to another big topic: I'd like to begin the official "payment to
#Permanent Offense" by both initiatives so that my "salary" will begin.

        [snip 1 para.]

#"I get ootsie even typing in the number but given the fundraising trajectory
#and the potential, it's the salary I want to try for. We can keep the
#disbursements steady throughout or start out smaller and spike it after the
#signatures are submitted, whatever keeps our reserves adequate to accomplish
#our goals.
#
#"do you have thoughts on this? are you uncomfortable with it? or do you
#think it's no big deal and don't care? always been a touchy subject with me
#but want to make sure that you are OK with this."

ISTM that the context is clearly negative: "even typing in the number
... uncomfortable ... always been a touchy subject with me". So if I had
to decide, I'd say it means "uncomfortable, queasy", used here
figuratively. Maybe only used figuratively, but we have no data on that.

-- Mark A. Mandel