Do you say ‘wash’ or ‘warsh?’ Here’s where the pronunciation comes from

Washing hands in a sink in 1937. Fox Photos/Getty Images/Hulton Archive

Fox Photos/Getty Images/Hulton Archive

Kevin Warsh is President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve. And for some, the sound of his name holds a particular meaning — specifically, his last name.

“My grandmother was the real tyrant about cleanliness,” said Patricia T. O’Conner, an author and language commentator. “She would say, ‘show me your hands … I don’t think you warshed those hands.'”