November 25th, 2008 -- by Bacchus
The Washing Rhyme
This is from The Nursery Rhymes Of England (Halliwell, 4th ed. 1846):
They that wash on Monday
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday,
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday,
Wash in need;
And they that wash on Saturday,
Oh! they’re sluts indeed.
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Is the rhyme implying that people that wash on Saturday are sluts because they got into naughty business on Friday night? I’m a little unclear on that.
But if that’s the case, then I’m definitely a slut more Saturdays than not!
I’m a little unclear about that too … I think it’s all in relationship to the need to be clean in church on Sunday. But I’m less than clear about exactly what social conditions gave rise to the rhyme, or what sexual assumptions are built into it.
LOL at this… That last line totally comes out of nowhere!
A quick google search of “slut etymology” revealed that “slut” was originally a term for a poor housekeeper or sloppy woman (we can easily imagine how it came to have it’s present meaning), although that was well before 1846. But I suppose if this rhyme was published in 1846, it might have been much older than that.
The definition that Lisa provided would make MUCH more sense in the context of this rhyme.
Yeah, slut was not just a sexual insult back in the day. Still an insult though!
Here’s Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slut
Often in early modern times, “whore” was the sexual insult standby. The history of insults in England is super interesting.
No matter which definition of “slut” applies, no parishioner should have to sit in a “pew” on Sundays… (Unless of course it is by their own choice…) ;-)
Mea culpa, Bacchus forgive me…