Comments on: Rid up

By: DLB

DLB — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:19:31 +0000

I am from Mississippi. A friend of mine from Ohio uses this term and now I say it. But nobody in the South uses this phrase.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:32:55 +0000

I live in Western New York and have heard both parents use the phrase “rid up” to mean tidy up. Just googled the term because I was wondering about it’s origin.

By: Lois

Lois — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:34:33 +0000

I agree with Roberta that “redd up” as in “redd up the dishes,” meant to clear the table, rinse and organize the dishes for washing, and deal with the leftovers, of course. :)
I’m from Southeastern Ohio and I picked it up from my mother but my sisters didn’t.
It seems to come from the same group who say, “Needs cleaned,” rather than “needs to be cleaned.”

By: Shawna

Shawna — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:31:43 +0000

I grew up hearing “rid the dishes” from my father — Irish by way of Idaho. My family never knew the history of the word except it meant to clean up after a meal. Found the term “redd up” in an Elizabeth Gaskell novel.

By: Roberta Genini

Roberta Genini — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:12:19 +0000

My grandmother was from Canton, Ohio (northeastern) of Scots Irish and German stock, born in 1884, and from her and my mother, her daughter, I heard “rid up”, as in “rid up the house,” as an everyday expression. I use to this day, it to the mystification of California people. I live in Fresno, and it isn’t heard here,I do believe, except when I say it. It actually means something a little different than cleaning an area, but that might be part of it. It means to make things orderly and presentable. This is a great expression that shouldn’t be allowed to die out.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:33:26 +0000

I’m from western PA and have heard and used the term all my life. My husband, from eastern PA never heard of it before meeting me, and seems to get annoyed when I say it!!! LOL!!!

By: Rayna

Rayna — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:50:00 +0000

PS forgot to say that I’m from Southern Ohio… so that matches the article also.

By: Rayna

Rayna — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:49:06 +0000

I am glad I found this little article because my “city boy” husband makes fun of me (and his previous “hillbilly” girlfriend) because we say Riddin’ up or Rid up and sometimes it sounds like “reddin’ up”. It’s neat, and I didnt know, that REDD is actually also a word that means cleaning up so my accent which makes me say Reddin’ is actually allowing me to say another word with the same meaning!! I was raised hearing this phrase from all the adult members of my family so I adopted it, and now use it myself. I had to giggle when my Grandma said it after Thanksgiving dinner here at my house….and my husband just looked at me and laughed. Of course she had no idea what we were laughing at her for so I had to tell her.

By: Jordan Moyer

Jordan Moyer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:46:42 +0000

They are absolutely correct! But I would have to say its a little more common northeast. Growing up in central Pennsylvania this is heard daily.