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rub-a-dub

[ ruhb-uh-duhb ]

/ ˈrʌb əˌdʌb /

noun

the sound of a drum when beaten.

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anchorite

a granular metamorphic rock.

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.

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Origin of rub-a-dub

First recorded in 1780–90; imitative

Words nearby rub-a-dub

rub out, rub someone's nose in it, rub the wrong way, rub up, rub up on, rub-a-dub, rub` al khali, rubaboo, rubaiyat stanza, rubarth's disease, rubasse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rub-a-dub

And away he ran among the trees in search of his pigs, while Eric heard his little drum, and his song of "Rub-a-dub, halloo!"
The Gold Thread|Norman MacLeod
She did not wish to be interrupted now; she wanted to find Iris to tell her of the sad fate of Rub-a-Dub.
A Little Mother to the Others|L. T. Meade
A little French drummer, singing to his rub-a-dub, and the agreeable yell of a dog, complete the vocal performers.
The Works of William Hogarth: In a Series of Engravings|John Trusler
Wolf gave a grunt like one of his pigs, and began his song of "Rub-a-dub."
The Gold Thread|Norman MacLeod

"That would not be Rub-a-Dub," she said; then she buried her little, fat face on his shoulder and sobs shook her frame.
A Little Mother to the Others|L. T. Meade

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