The spelling of the phrase "wast taken cleaners" may appear odd to some, but it is actually a valid construction in Old and Middle English. The word "wast" is an archaic form of "was" in the past tense. The pronunciation of "taken" is straightforward, with the stress on the first syllable and the final "n" sound pronounced clearly. "Cleaners" is pronounced with a long "i" sound in the first syllable and a soft "s" sound at the end. In IPA, it is transcribed as /wɑst ˈteɪkən ˈklinərz/.