 I don't think it's Pennsylvanian Dutch. It has a long history, at least to the 1830s. We're talking almost 200 years. Oh, wow. And typically, I think it's just a strange construction in English without a specific origin, although there is one use I found in 1904 describes a stage scene with, quote, wooden angels moved steadily by jerks across the painted sky. And you can just imagine, like, a rusty pulley and rope...