<https://forums.tcm.com/topic/126251-noir-alley/page/58/#comment-1751406>
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"Not to give you a hard time, since I'm thrilled to see you back, Miss Wonderly but I always used to say \"Dull as dishwater\" and then one time looked its derivation up and found \"ditchwater\" predated \"dishwater\".  \n\tCheck this out and then I will be back:  \n\t\"\n \n\n\n\tdull as ditchwater\n\n\n\n\tvery boring, or miserable.   \n\told english phrase dating back to the 1700s, which plays on the double meaning of dull (boring/opaque).   \n\tmodern english and american english also uses the phrase \"dull as dishwater\", probably evolved through mispronounciation and familiarity with the latter.\n\n\n\n\t\"andy has a new girlfriend but i can't understand why, she is as dull as ditchwater\"   \n\t\"wear the purple one, that black dress is dull as ditchwater\" \n\n\n\n\t#dull as dishwater#boring#miserable#old english#dull\"\n\n\n\n\t \n\t \n \n\n\n\t\n\t\tDull as ditchwater (not dishwater) … specific questions thereon\n\t \n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tup vote1down votefavorite\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t2\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t(1) who specifically, or at least when specifically, did originate the phrase?\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t{Example answer - \"that was one of Shakespeare's!\"}\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t(2) why?\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t(3) when first did someone screw up and use \"..dishwater\"? why? who?\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you.\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t(PS note that in print, apparently \"...dishwater\" become more popular from about the 1970s. I am interested in the above three questions, if anyone has any info on those three specific questions, thank you in advance.)\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBTW I appreciate this question may be \"easily answered by some reference book\", if so, please (A) tell me the book and (B) close the question. (I'm afraid I couldn't find anything.)\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tetymology expressions idioms origin-unknown\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tshareimprove this question\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tedited Jan 20 '17 at 12:22\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tasked Sep 10 '14 at 12:04\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFattie\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t9,79622251\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe switch from ditchwater to dishwater is very likely to have been in speech, since they sound very much alike. So it's going to be undocumented. (Although you might be able to figure out roughly when and where the switch happened.) – Peter Shor Sep 10 '14 at 12:12\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n"
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