emery board

American  

noun

1. a small, stiff strip of paper or cardboard, coated with powdered emery, used in manicuring.

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emery board British  

noun

1. a strip of cardboard or wood with a rough surface of crushed emery, for filing one's nails

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Etymology

Origin of emery board

First recorded in 1715–25

Compare meaning

How does emery-board compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• emery board vs. nail file

Example Sentences

Less than a week earlier, Joe Niekro of the Minnesota Twins was caught with an emery board and a piece of sandpaper in his pocket during a game against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times

Joe Niekro had an emery board and a piece of sandpaper.

From Washington Times

“I know it’s foreign, but he’s not trying to cheat. Maybe he’s trying to get an advantage because he’s reading the scouting report, but it wasn’t pine tar, it wasn’t an emery board, it wasn’t whatever.”

From Reuters

“And I showed them the card. It wasn’t an emery board, or anything else that people have been caught with.”

From Los Angeles Times

Doreen lounged on my bed in a peach silk dressing gown, filing her long, nicotine-yellow nails with an emery board, while I typed up the draft of an interview with a best-selling novelist.

From Literature