Whiteisms
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Etymology Journal ยท W

Warsh it

Meaning

A regional pronunciation of the word wash. It is often teased by people from outside the region.

Informal, nostalgic

Used in a sentence

  • Go ahead and warsh it in the sink before you put it away.
  • I need to warsh the car before we go to church.
  • Did you warsh the vegetables like I asked?

The backstory

This is a classic example of intrusive r-sounds in certain Appalachian and Midwestern accents. It is a speech pattern that has persisted for generations.

Heard in

Appalachia, Midwest

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