Names for a Patch of Blue Sky

Hey there, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Lee calling from Charleston, South Carolina.

Hey Lee, we’re glad to have you. What’s up?

Well, I have a phrase that my dad used to say. We grew up in Athens, Georgia, and we would vacation down at the beach, usually the coast of South Carolina or Georgia, over many years. My family and then the extended family and the grandchildren. And invariably there would be a day or two of bad weather. But at some point, my dad would call out to the house, kittens britches. And at that, everybody would run out to the beach because we knew that meant that there was some blue sky. And it was just a thing that we all did. And eventually, I think when I was older, I said, what’s the story with that? What does that mean? And he said, well, it means there’s enough blue sky to make a kitten a pair of britches. And I just wondered, is that something that my sweet dad dreamed up? Or is it something that’s original that you’ve heard other people use?

Your sweet dad. I like that, that you call him your sweet dad.

He was very sweet, especially when he got older and we called him granddaddy. Then it became an absolute icon of a phrase.

Yeah, that’s lovely. No, it’s not his expression, though, but it is the kind of expression that I think requires a certain attitude toward the world to talk about a little bit of blue appearing as enough blue to make kittens britches. And there are variations on this. Some people would say a Dutchman’s coat or a Dutchman’s trousers or pants for a sailor or an old woman’s apron or a handkerchief or a cat’s vest. Just enough of these expressions. And they all have to do with this stereotypical blue used to color fabric. This well-known, very specific blue that looked like the sky that you would use for a relatively inexpensive fabric. Like you might put on an apron or you might, you know, sailors not wearing velvet pants, you know, silver. It’s something that’s a rough, coarse fabric.

Yeah. It’s funny when I tell other people, I’ve recently told a group of friends of mine that were all going to the beach and they all just, and it was exactly the time that the tropical storm Debbie was coming through. And she said they were all kind of hovered inside and then suddenly they saw it and they all yelled kitten spritches and got a big kick out of it. It’s a thing now that I’ve introduced all these people in Charleston, and I will say my northern friends get a big kick out of it. But I always thought it was very sweet.

It is sweet. Yeah, and it goes back to the 19th century, so the 1800s. So there’s a lot of depth to it. And there are some expressions about predicting the weather based on when and how that patch of blue sky appears. But, of course, there’s no real truth to them. But they’re out there, all kinds of weather lore and traditional sayings about a patch that’s a blue sky indicating that the weather’s going to turn this way or that.

Yeah, and if they’re kitten britches, they’re not very big at all. That’s the other piece of this.

They aren’t. It was just enough for us to get super excited and run out. Because if you’ve been on a family vacation, you know it’s time to get out.

Yeah, you’re on vacation. You’re in good skies at the beach. Lee, this is a wonderful memory.

Yeah, thank you for sharing with us. We really appreciate it.

Okay. Thanks so much. I enjoy your show. You take care now.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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