I washed my hands of cooking long ago. Does this sound natural?

Question

pwillow1 · Accepted Answer

It's correct to say "I washed my hands of" when you say that you gave something up.  It's an old expression and may not be understood by all native English speakers.

I washed my hands of him because he was so unfaithful to me!
I washed my hands of that business, it was always giving me grief.

But when you are talking about cooking (where washing your hands is important), saying that you "washed your hands of cooking" might sound a little strange to some people.

MishaTr · Answer

"To wash one's hands of something" is totally normal English. The expression comes from the story of Pontius Pilate "washing his hands of" responsibility for Jesus's fate. Matthew 27:24. So it means a little more than just to give or have given something up; it means to disclaim responsibility for it or deny obligation to do something: I let go of any duty to cook long ago; disclaimed any obligation to live up to expectations to cook long ago; disavowed any cooking responsibility long ago. Those could just be emphatic ways of saying "I _stopped_ cooking long ago," but the overtone from the widely known source of the expression is still there -- and can be used for humorous effect here as relates to cooking, with a semi-pun.

Now, it is possible to find Americans who wouldn't know the expression, just as it's possible to find Americans who don't know what World War II was, and can't find France or Korea on a map. But it is in fact in common use. Here are some recent examples from newspapers, TV news, magazines, etc. in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (all the past 10 years or so).

-- <snip> Slaton declared: "Two thousand years ago another Governor washed his hands of a case and turned over a Jew to a ...
-- <snip> ego. Once the season was over, Jeff Fisher quickly washed his hands of both Williamses. Gregg is now a defensive ...
-- <snip> too much of a burden to his father , who had washed his hands of child-rearing years before. She need not have ...
-- <snip> He too has not visited her grave. He's washed his hands of fifty incredible years with consummate ease . ...
-- <snip> Most people don't know that. But I think he washed his hands of it after they changed the script a little bit ...
-- <snip> is pretty tough to do that, and I think he washed his hands of it and figured that was the solution. The ...
-- <snip> respected judge who was handling this case at one stage, washed his hands of it and refused to hear the case any further ...
-- <snip> furious But after asking Welsh to quit, Furlong washed his hands of the issue. He did n't contact police. ...
-- <snip> ineffective as they were destructive. Then Lyndon Johnson just washed his hands of the mess after Tet 1968, when he halted ...
-- <snip> the Iraq war veteran murdered by ISIS. He could have washed his hands of the people in the Middle East , but he ...
-- <snip> such cartoons to be published." The Danish prime minister washed his hands of the whole matter, with the usual comments, ...
-- <snip> tell them, even if you knew, because So-and-So had washed his hands of these women, was done with them, yet ...
-- <snip> not sure she could go through with it. Jeffrey had washed his hands of this part completely, which was just as well ...
-- <snip> Some well-informed politicians even say that King Hussein has washed his hands of US support and does not rule out the possibility ...
-- <snip> But God was n't having any of it. He'd washed his hands of us. I wanted Mike to join the army ...
-- <snip> was her duty as a God-fearing citizen. She had washed her hands of Donnie Ray Grimes, or whatever name he chose ...
-- <snip> mine, my mother, on the other hand, has washed her hands of the entire affair, if you die of starvation ...
-- <snip> 's Mr-KLEIN : After the assassination of Bobby, Jackie washed her hands of the United States. She felt that there was ...
-- <snip> (" Blood in the chalet, blood in the snow/She washed her hands of the whole damn show"), but it ...
-- <snip> father, and then me. My mother, who had washed her hands of us, didn't show. Because of my ...
-- <snip> (a pause ) Now your mother has just about washed her hands of you -- that's obvious, 'cause she ...
-- <snip> then remembered. Sherri was clean now. She'd washed her hands of all the shiesty things she and Eva had ...

NordicRest · Answer

Saying that makes it sound like you're trying to make a pun, which is a little weird in this situation. I'd say "gave up on cooking," instead.

pwillow1 · Answer

I can't really think of a colorful way to say "I gave up cooking."  

I abandoned cooking.
I renounced cooking.
Cooking and I had an argument and we broke up. 
Cooking and I are no longer friends.  We are no longer speaking, taking each others calls or texting.  ;-)

Tylerveg · Answer

"Washing your hands" of something may be possible, but it's never really used in English. Rather, say you "quit" or "stopped" cooking.

I washed my hands of cooking long ago. Does this sound natural?

Saying that makes it sound like you're trying to make a pun, which is a little weird in this situation. I'd say "gave up on cooking," instead.

"Washing your hands" of something may be possible, but it's never really used in English. Rather, say you "quit" or "stopped" cooking.

I can't really think of a colorful way to say "I gave up cooking." I abandoned cooking.I renounced cooking.Cooking and I had an argument and we broke up. Cooking and I are no longer friends. We are no longer speaking, taking each others calls or texting. ;-)

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I can't really think of a colorful way to say "I gave up cooking."

I abandoned cooking.
I renounced cooking.
Cooking and I had an argument and we broke up.
Cooking and I are no longer friends. We are no longer speaking, taking each others calls or texting. ;-)