GR translation: reet pleats

[David Payne]

Solved it!

Problem is, you don't need to define "reet", you need to define "reet pleat". Totally different.

A reet pleat (sometimes spelled reat pleat) is a pleat in zoot suit pants that extends from the knee (or maybe a bit higher) down to the cuff.

Here's an image: http://10oopera.files.wordpress.com/011//1//mg-dwg-photo.jpg

You can see the reet pleats pretty clearly on the zoot-suit pants in this video, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRHsYUppPPM

See, also:

* "A young Malcolm X described the zoot suit as: "'a killer-diller coat with a drape shape, reet pleats and shoulders padded like a lunatics cell.'" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit)

* "I want the zoot suit with the reet pleat" (http://www.getwellkathleen.us/LIFE/unsemwww//homefront/zootsuit.htm)

* "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.'"  (https://www.cdispatch.com/robhardy/article.asp?aid=5572)

Curiously, the OED defines reet as sea weed.

Keep 'em coming, Mike. I'm enjoying this close reading immensely.  You're teaching this native English speakers how much he doesn't know.

> > > On Sun, Feb 4,, 013 at ::2 AM, Mike Jing 
> <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com> 
> > > wrote: 
> > >> 
> > >> P49..--2 ... 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=412 
> > > 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/ 
> >