bluing

[ bloo-ing ]

/ ˈblu ɪŋ /

a substance, as indigo, used to whiten clothes or give them a bluish tinge.

QUIZZES

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!

Question 1 of 10

A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?

First recorded in 1660–70; blue + -ing¹

Two or three squeezes of a bluing ball, or a teaspoonful of liquid bluing is often a sufficient quantity for a tub of water.
The Library of Work and Play: Housekeeping|Elizabeth Hale Gilman
She was now preparing her bluing water in a small tub standing on three legs.
L'Assommoir|Emile Zola
Emery paper or a burnisher must never be used in removing rust, for it also removes the bluing.
Manual of Military Training|James A. Moss
Here I have the clothes almost washed, and not a bit of bluing to rinse them in.
Uncle Wiggily in the Woods|Howard R. Garis

By the side of it sat a tub for rinsing water and next to that a tub for bluing water.
The Library of Work and Play: Electricity and Its Everyday Uses|John F. Woodhull