We spoke a little while ago about quickie baths, which one listener called a Georgia bath, but we got a letter from someone who’s grandmother used to refer to it as “swabbin’ the vitals,” that last word sounding like “vittles.” This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Swabbin’ the Vitals”
Grant, remember we were talking about Georgia baths and bird baths.
So these are quick baths just to get the basics done without lingering.
Exactly.
We heard from David Magliaro, who says, my late and much beloved grandmother referred to this type of quick bath as swabbing the vittles.
He said she was born in 1898 and grew up in Glasgow, Scotland.
Okay.
Yeah.
It’s spelled like vitals, but it’s pronounced vittles.
Swabbing the vittles.
Swabbing the vittles.
That’s all you got to do.
And then you’re out the door.
Throughout all of human history, that brief bath must have always been a thing, right?
Right.
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