French chalk

American  

noun

1. a talc for marking lines on fabrics.

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French chalk British  

noun

1. a compact variety of talc used to mark cloth or remove grease stains from materials

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Etymology

Origin of French chalk

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

On the table, besides an open book, are a pair of spectacles, four pens, a small box which may contain French chalk for pouncing, and what looks like a piece of sponge.

From The Care of Books by Clark, John Willis

If the figure be first dusted with French chalk, it will leave the clay without trouble.144 Little walls being built, the first half is then cast.

From Pottery, for Artists Craftsmen & Teachers by Cox, George J.

No acid or French chalk would be of any avail there.

From Trading by Warner, Susan

Grease Stains on Silk.—For grease stains on silk, rub the silk with French chalk or magnesia, and then hold it to the fire.

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

French chalk is a soft variety of steatite, a hydrated magnesium silicate.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various