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.
The bilge water was not processed through required pollution prevention equipment, and the illegal discharges were not recorded in the vessel’s oil record book, as required by law, prosecutors said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
Some suggest bilge water from passing freighters could be aggravating its spread in Turks and Caicos.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2020
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
This cunning, evocation of smells, jute, bilge water, the warm oils of the engine room?
From Jaffery by Locke, William John
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.