dutchmen

[sagehen]

>At 6/9/2006 10:35 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>>to talk double-dutch:  to talk gibberish, nonsense
>
>There is also the double-dutch of jumping rope (rope jumping?) --
>using two ropes.  circa 1940s, in my memory.  Not in OED2.
>
>Joel
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's another "dutch" association in our folklore, that of great
cleanliness: thus "Old Dutch Cleanser" which was a market leader in its
field for many years.  Netherland, not Pennsylvanian, was the referent,
since the icon was a figure in wooden shoes & a great winged cap.
AM

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