Sunday, January 18, 2009

Finding the Right Word: Clothes To Be Re-Worn

cat on clothes on flor

Remember those semi-dirty clothes that too often tend to wind up on the floor, or tossed over a treadmill? Imagine my surprise in finding this query in the latest edition of The Atlantic:
Carolyn Haggis, of Oxford, England, writes, "I'm looking for a word for the items of clothing which sit perched on a chair in my bedroom, waiting to be reworn. They are not yet ready for the laundry bin (since I plan to rewear them), but they are no longer suitable for the wardrobe (which I reserve for clean clothes). I assume others keep their lightly worn clothes in a similar purgatory?"
Some of the many answers include
- Foreworns.
- Limbotogs.
- Purgattire.
- Worndrobe.

If word play interests you, I'd recommend reading the whole set of comments.

[photo by maury.mccown]

3 comments:

  1. In our family they've always been referred to as "Clirty clothes" (clean/dirty). I don't know how widespread the term is. It could be an Australian term. Only 578 hits in Google, so obviously not too common.

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  2. Sue, I've never heard "clirty clothes" before, but I like it; it has a nice sound to it.

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  3. Thanks for this post! I have been creating "wear it again" piles and hooks with clients, but never thought up a great name for the clothes. Clirty is easy and memorable. Love the rest too!

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