bilge water
Americannoun
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Nautical. bilge.
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Also called bilge. Slang. foolish, worthless, or offensive talk or ideas; nonsense; rubbish.
Etymology
Origin of bilge water
First recorded in 1700–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some suggest bilge water from passing freighters could be aggravating its spread in Turks and Caicos.
From BBC • Jan. 9, 2020
The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships requires oily bilge water to be treated before being released into the sea.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2019
Sometimes bilge water can be discharged into the ocean but only after almost all oil is separated out.
From The Guardian • Dec. 2, 2016
Eventually, with the help of a confidential informant, investigators would learn of the ship’s multiple unreported engine failures and makeshift hose-and-barrel system for bilge water that discharged oily waste into the ocean.
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2014
The donkey-engines were started—not with the idea of ejecting bilge water, but for the purpose of pumping a copious supply of salt water into the improvised tank.
From The Wireless Officer by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
