rubdown
a massage, especially after exercise or a steam bath.
Origin of rubdown
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rubdown in a sentence
Give your cutting board a good rinse and rub down with a dish cloth or scrub brush.
The Texan went off to rub down his horse, mend his accoutrements, squat around the cooking fires, and gamble with the drivers.
Overland | John William De ForestAfter a brisk rub down, the girls did justice to a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, toast and wild strawberries in thick cream.
The Missing Formula | Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann WirtIf, after the bath and rub-down, your body has reacted and you feel vigorous and fresh, that bath has done you good.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society | Upton Sinclair"Give her a rub down and a feed, and say nothing about it," said Gano, transferring something from his pocket to the man's hand.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
A cold bath, a brisk rub down and another glass of distilled water completed the morning training.
Once a Week | Alan Alexander Milne
British Dictionary definitions for rub down
to dry or clean (a horse, athlete, oneself, etc) vigorously, esp after exercise
to make or become smooth by rubbing
(tr) to prepare (a surface) for painting by rubbing it with sandpaper
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with rubdown
Briskly rub the body, as in a massage. For example, The trainer rubs down marathon runners, or That horse needs rubbing down. This expression was first used (and still is) for rubbing away dust and sweat from a horse. [Late 1600s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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