Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 02:50 PM Jun 2014

A family word mystery finally solved.

I had actually posted about this a couple years ago.Could not find the source of the word.

my Grandma used the term "red up the dishes" meaning to soak them in the sink for later washing.
Her folks were from Ohio, , came over from England in mid-1700's.
Well, it may be that she had heard the word as..."red"...... when the actual word was "ret", which is a term meaning to soak a plant to soten the outer husk,specifically related to the process of using hemp and flax as a fiber.
You have to "ret" the plant, by a proces known as "retting".
I found it here:

Ret" is familiar to crossword-puzzle workers along with another Middle English word from linen-making, to "ted", which meant to lay out the flax to dry it. I confess I'm not sure about the process -- whether one would ret then ted, or perhaps ted then ret. Maybe they'd ted, then ret, then tread on the fibers. It almost makes an algebraic equation: ted + ret = tread.



From: Mercer Jackson (mercerATjmjackson.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--ret

I remember my English grandmother talking about "retting up the dishes". I never quite knew what she meant, but she was apparently going to soak them before washing them.

https://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail211.html

And many of her expressions are also found on this page of Ottawa Valley Expressions ( Ottawa Canada)
which was also settled by the English
http://ogradys.ca/opeongo/ov_expressions.html
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
A family word mystery finally solved. (Original Post) dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 OP
Useful link about making flax intaglio Jun 2014 #1
That term is still in common use in the Pittsburgh area Orrex Jun 2014 #2
Yes, I saw some of them. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #3
Yinz!!!! Avalux Jun 2014 #9
When I saw the title of this thread, I truly hoped it referred to "redding up" Metatron Jun 2014 #4
I bet the word "ret" and "retting" are European. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #5
That was common in my family NV Whino Jun 2014 #6
Originally from Pennsylvania Dutch country, the term "redd up" was common during 1monster Jun 2014 #7
that is interesting. dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #10
My mother says that! When I was a kid, she would tell me to "red up my room". Avalux Jun 2014 #8
I remember the term "redd up"... 3catwoman3 Jun 2014 #11

Orrex

(63,088 posts)
2. That term is still in common use in the Pittsburgh area
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 03:46 PM
Jun 2014

Lots of gems in that region's linguistic heritage!

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
3. Yes, I saw some of them.
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 03:54 PM
Jun 2014

Finding words used by my family is like tracing their generational journey across the country.
fascinating.
My great great grandmother's family settled in New Jersey, but only for about 20 years, then they all moved to Ohio until 1906, then on to Washingotn state.

Avalux

(35,015 posts)
9. Yinz!!!!
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 10:30 AM
Jun 2014

That word still comes out of my mouth occassionally; when I'm back home with the family.

Metatron

(1,258 posts)
4. When I saw the title of this thread, I truly hoped it referred to "redding up"
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 04:15 PM
Jun 2014

I never found much info searching on the etymology of the term over the years. My grandmother also was born in Ohio and her family came over from England in the early 1800s, I believe. She and my mom used to say "redding up the table," meaning to clear the table before washing the dishes. Really interesting info, I'll be sending this around to my relatives. Thank you so much, dixiegrrrrl!

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
5. I bet the word "ret" and "retting" are European.
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 05:51 PM
Jun 2014

Lol..even as I type, there are dishes in sink soaking, where I redded up after lunch.

Another word I found of old origins was "being on tenderhooks".
"tenderhooks" is how I heard it but the word is actually "tenterhooks".
From Wiki:
Tenterhooks are hooks in a device called a tenter. Tenters were originally large wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. After a piece of cloth was woven, it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt. A craftsperson called a fuller (also called a tucker or walker) cleaned the woollen cloth in a fulling mill, and then had to dry it carefully or the woollen fabric would shrink. To prevent this shrinkage, the fuller would place the wet cloth on a tenter, and leave it to dry outdoors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhooks

don'tcha just love old words???

NV Whino

(20,886 posts)
6. That was common in my family
Tue Jun 3, 2014, 08:33 PM
Jun 2014

T me, red up the dishes meant gather them up and clean them. Because no dish was ever left to soak in my house.

1monster

(11,012 posts)
7. Originally from Pennsylvania Dutch country, the term "redd up" was common during
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 12:08 AM
Jun 2014

my childhood years.

The term "redd up" was always said to be derived from the German word "redden" which means to tidy. However, some now say that it comes from old English and even Scottish.

Given the heavy German population ( and later influx of Irish), I tend toward the German etymology explanation...

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
10. that is interesting.
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 01:11 PM
Jun 2014

Apparently some German IS in the early family tree, come to find out.

I am not entirely certain if Gram used the "red up the dishes" meaning to clear the table
or to soak the dishes, since both were part of the process.
I just know she always said it in context of telling us, the grandkids, to do it.
I never heard her say "I will red up the dishes"
nor did she use the phrase about any other topic...like tidying a room.

fascinating, these old family terms.


Avalux

(35,015 posts)
8. My mother says that! When I was a kid, she would tell me to "red up my room".
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 10:28 AM
Jun 2014

Thank you for the explanation; in my family, that 'word' was synonymous with 'clean'. We always thought it was of Pennsylvania Dutch origin.

3catwoman3

(23,822 posts)
11. I remember the term "redd up"...
Wed Jun 4, 2014, 03:40 PM
Jun 2014

...from a favorite book from my middle childhood. It was a book about a Quaker family, called They Loved To Laugh. Based on letters from a real family. The family took in a teenaged girl who had lost both parents to illness. The Quaker mother character often spoke of "redding up the kitchen."

Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»A family word mystery fin...