More thoughts about spritzing
I really liked hearing so many comments about “spritzing” on my post last month!
Hubby pointed out a funny use of “spritz” that I’d forgotten. We have a bottle at home just for spritzing the cats when they go places they’re not supposed to go.
Mark contributes from Austria, “You’ve gone and done it (again)…another Yorkism with German roots… YAY! Well the German verb spritzen does mean to squirt or spray, or splash, spatter or gush. Therefore with a variety of liquid (Flüssigkeit) material, the range is wide. It can also mean to inject (as in a medicine). Also over here in Austria and in Germany a lot of people like to add soda water to their drinks and order it g’spritzt (especially popular with wines). So there you have it. Another insight from your Austrian correspondent!”
And then Jo brought up a good point, combining “how things used to be” with this Yorkism! She writes, “Back in the pre-permanent press fabric days, and in the days when women ironed everything in sight, including all linens, all underwear and most other clothing; handkerchiefs & window dressings, laundry had to be sprinkled with water, or spritzed. Individual items were then rolled to keep from from drying out until ready to be ironed. So come ironing day, there would be this pile of damp, rolled up laundry pieces piled in the laundry basket. If there were a lot of pieces to be ironed that took longer than others, occasionally the ironer would have to spritz the pile to keep it damp. Often the spritzer was concocted from a soda bottle with a sprinkler that fit over the top of the bottle. Those sprinklers could be bought in any hardware, grocery or five-and-ten for a few cents and I wouldn’t be surprised if they still could be found in some areas. How much money do we spend today for natural gas and electricity to dry our clothes in dryers?”
Ha, good point! (Though I admit I definitely am NOT an ironer!)
Regarding my question about whether spritz cookies were in any way related to “spritzing,” Dianne writes, “Spritz cookies, or spritzgeback, are claimed by both Swedes and Germans.”
Lorie says, “I believe that spritz cookie are Scandinavian. As far as our use of spritz, from Webster’s dictionary, ‘Origin of SPRITZ: German spritzen, to squirt, spray; First Known Use: 1902’.”
And finally, Blake pointed me in a great direction for learning more about some of our Yorkisms or Pennsylvania Dutch sayings. He writes, “I remember the term ‘spritz’ very well from my grandparents saying it, although its origin is unknown to me as well. I’d recommend speaking to local Pennsylvania Dutch expert Kenneth E. Stough as he may be able to assist. Ken is a distant cousin of mine, and gave a lecture at a family reunion several years ago. He teaches PA Dutch classes in the area, and I believe has been a subject of newspaper articles as well.”
Actually, Ken has a series of classes coming up soon at Providence Place in Dover Township! I’ve often thought those classes sounded interesting, and one of my 2011 goals is to make it to a session of them. If anyone is interested in joining me, let me know!
