mop-up
[mop-uhp]
- the act, process, or an instance of mopping up; completion of an operation or action.
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Origin of mop-up
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase mop up
mop
1[mop]
- a bundle of coarse yarn, a sponge, or other absorbent material, fastened at the end of a stick or handle for washing floors, dishes, etc.
- a thick mass of hair.
- a polishing wheel having several layers of cloth secured by a boss.
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- to rub, wipe, clean, or remove with a mop (often followed by up): to mop up a spill.
- to wipe as if with a mop: to mop the face with a handkerchief.
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- to clean or wipe with or as if with a mop (often followed by up): First he swept, then he mopped up.
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- mop up,
- Military.to clear (ground, trenches, towns, etc.) of scattered or remaining enemy combatants after attacking forces have conquered the area.
- Informal.to dispose of; complete; finish: He mopped up the rest of his business and went on a vacation.
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- mop the floor with. floor(def 20).
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Origin of mop
11375–1425; earlier map, late Middle English mappe, apocopated variant of mappel < Medieval Latin mappula a cloth, equivalent to Latin mapp(a) napkin + -ula -ule
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for mop up
beat, rout, trounce, overpower, thrash, blast, terminate, do, accomplish, end, complete, conclude, stop, clinch, settle, close, make, achieve, completion, culminationmop up
- to clean with a mop
- informal to complete (a task, etc)
- military to clear (remaining enemy forces) after a battle, as by killing, taking prisoner, etc
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- the act or an instance of mopping up
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mop
1- an implement with a wooden handle and a head made of twists of cotton or a piece of synthetic sponge, used for polishing or washing floors, or washing dishes
- something resembling this, such as a tangle of hair
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- (tr often foll by up) to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop
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See also mop up
Word Origin for mop
C15 mappe, from earlier mappel, from Medieval Latin mappula cloth, from Latin mappa napkin
mop
2- (intr) to make a grimace or sad expression (esp in the phrase mop and mow)
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- such a face or expression
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Word Origin for mop
C16: perhaps from Dutch moppen to pour; compare Dutch mop pug dog
mop
3- (in various parts of England) an annual fair at which formerly servants were hired
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Word Origin for mop
C17: from the practice of servants carrying a mop, broom, or flail, etc, to signify the job sought
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for mop up
mop
late 15c., mappe "bundle of yarn, etc., fastened to the end of a stick for cleaning or spreading pitch on a ship's decks," from Walloon (French) mappe "napkin," from Latin mappa "napkin" (see map (n.)). Modern spelling by 1660s. Of hair, from 1847.
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mop
1709, from mop (n.). Related: Mopped; mopping.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with mop up
mop up
Clear an area of remaining enemy troops after a victory, as in They left behind just one squadron to mop up. [c. 1900]
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Perform the minor tasks that conclude a project or activity, as in Go ahead, I'll mop up these last invoices. [First half of 1900s] Both usages transfer the task of housecleaning with a mop to other kinds of cleanup.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.