Lady Mondragon and Other NW Pa Matters

[Bill Palmer]

I've been told that the "red" in "red up" is an apocopated form of "ready".

Bill Palmer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joanna Taylor" <mywordjewelry at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2009 10:23 AM
Subject: Re: Lady Mondragon and Other NW Pa Matters


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Joanna Taylor <mywordjewelry at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Lady Mondragon and Other NW Pa Matters
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> My mother's family has been in Venango County for generations-- she was
> born
> in Oil City in 1930, but I've never heard her use 'red up'! When I asked
> her
> about it this morning, it took her a moment, and then she said, "Oh, yes,
> my
> mother used to say that!". But she never has, for some reason. She thought
> it might be from 'rid up', get rid of all the extra clutter in the
> room. (Just her guess, though).
>
> Joanna
>
> Date:    Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:42:32 -0800
> From:    Carter Rila <elcutachero at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject: Lady Mondragon and Other NW Pa Matters
>
> (...)
> Then there was the local pronunciation of Seneca as "Senecky" by my
> parents and grandparents and many others
> A common term used in our area was "red up" for tidying up. An episode of
> Criminal Intent led Goren to the origins of a pair of murderous maids,
> When I moved to Erie in 1953, red up was never used and I long forgot to
> use
> it, About fifteen years ago the term came back to me when someone at the
> office asked me why I was staying late and it turned out he was from the
> area too
> Now I use it all the time and mayhaps it will spread. I used to stay with
> my
> aunt in Youngstown, Ohio, and don't recall the term ever used there.
> Carter Rila, aka Charles Franklin Carter.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


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