fatberg

American  

[fat-burg] / ˈfæt bɜrg /

noun

1. a solid lump in a sewer system consisting of waste that does not break down, as congealed cooking fat, cleansing wipes, and cotton balls.

   Cities must deal with the growing problem of large and small fatbergs that cause sewage backups and street flooding.

---

Etymology

Origin of fatberg

First recorded in 2000–05; fat ( def. ) (in the sense “greasy substance”) + (ice)berg ( def. )

Example Sentences

Q. How did Swedish plumbers respond to news of Stockholm’s fatberg?

From Washington Post • May 20, 2021

Workers trying to remove a huge fatberg clogging a Birmingham sewer hope high-pressure jets will tackle the "horrible, gunky mess".

From BBC • May 2, 2021

The fatberg was discovered when sewer flows in the area were noticed to be moving slower than normal, she said.

From BBC • May 2, 2021

Thames Water found the fattest fatberg recorded in the UK to date, in Whitechapel, east London, in September 2017.

From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2019

A team of 10 scientists welcomed the unusual challenge and carried out a dissection that involved melting down some parts of the fatberg, extracting and identifying the waste materials and even performing DNA sequencing.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2019