this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2025
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[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

It makes the meaning more unclear. "Washed up" refers to washing up on the shore, i.e., being removed from the ocean. "Washed" means...you're clean?

EDIT: I'm wrong, see below

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Etymonline says that ‘washed-up’ is from theatre slang.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I stand corrected! Just saying "washed" is much closer to the original origin than I thought, then.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, slang typically originates from expressions that are in everyday use among significant subcultural population. 'Washed up' could've been related to the sea if it were coined in the mid-nineteenth century at the latest, when seaside occupations were still dominant in the economy, especially in the UK. But it's too far-fetched for the twentieth century, when urban life became more important.