GR translation: reet pleats

[David Morris]

Reet means Righteous!  Shiny and crisp.

On Sunday, February 24, 2013, Rich Clavey wrote:

> reet, a.
>
> (riːt)
>
> U.S. dial. var. right a. (usu. in sense 8).
>    Also a common dial. var. in the U.K.: see Eng. Dial. Dict.
>
>    1934 in Webster.    1942 Amer. Mercury July 85 Jelly got into his zoot
> suit with the reet pleats.    1943 Crisis July 201/2 Negro youths will
> crack at anyone of any race who is nice looking. They will say, ‘A fine
> queen‥a reet cheet’.    1946 B. Treadwell Big Bk. Swing 125/1 Reet, fine,
> O.K.    1977 Hot Car Oct. 42/3 People I've spoken to who went last year
> said it was reet good and very alcoholic.
>
> OED
>
>
> --- On Sun, 2/24/13, jochen stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> > From: jochen stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> > Subject: Re: GR translation: reet pleats
> > To: "James Kyllo" <jkyllo at gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> > Cc: "Mike Jing" <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com <javascript:;>>,
> "Pynchon Mailing List" <pynchon-l at waste.org <javascript:;>>
> > Date: Sunday, February 24, 2013, 4:56 AM
> > Seems to me that in the context with
> > zoot suit it has another meaning:
> >
> > The design of the suit had many modifications, and came in
> > all colors,
> > but it consisted basically of "the long killer-diller coat
> > with a
> > drape shape and wide shoulders; pants with reet-pleats,
> > billowing out
> > at the knees, tightly tapered and pegged at the ankles; a
> > porkpie or
> > wide-brimmed hat; pointed or thick-soled shoes; and a long,
> > dangling
> > keychain."
> >
> > Read more:
> http://www.cdispatch.com/robhardy/article.asp?aid=15572#ixzz2LoSRmsBK
> >
> >
> > 2013/2/24 James Kyllo <jkyllo at gmail.com <javascript:;>>:
> > > Difficult to translate, referring to a song or two:
> > > Louis Jordan Reet, Petite, And Gone<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkMIKEykTjI>(Louis
> > Jordan - Reet, Petite and
> > > Gone)
> > > and Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE46zm4yjhA>(Jackie
> > Wilson - Reet Petite)
> > >
> > > It's how the word "right" spoken with a Northern accent
> > is often
> > > transliterated, and that is used to mean "very" or
> > "certainly" as in "It's
> > > reet cold this morning".
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 6:42 AM, Mike Jing <
> gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com <javascript:;>>
> > > wrote:
> > >>
> > >> P249.4-12   ... It is all out of
> > shape, no focus to it until a sarcastic
> > >> flourish from the band, and here comes the meanest
> > customer Slothrop has
> > >> seen outside of a Frankenstein movie—wearing a
> > white zoot suit with reet
> > >> pleats and a long gold keychain that swings in
> > flashing loops as he crosses
> > >> the room with a scowl for everybody, in something
> > of a hurry but taking the
> > >> time to scan faces and bodies, head going side to
> > side, methodical, a little
> > >> ominous. He stops at last in front of Slothrop,
> > who’s putting together a
> > >> Shirley Temple for himself.
> > >>
> > >> What are "reet pleats"?  Specifically, what is
> > the meaning of the word
> > >> "reet" here?  I am having trouble finding an
> > appropriate translation.
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > http://www.last.fm/user/Auto_Da_Fe
> > > http://www.pop.nu/en/show_collection.asp?user=2412
> > > http://www.librarything.com/profile/Auto_Da_Fe
> > > http://www.thedetails.co.uk/
> > > http://www.songkick.com/users/Auto_Da_Fe
> > > http://big-game.tumblr.com/
> >
>
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