rug

[ruhg]

noun

1. a thick fabric for covering part of a floor, often woven of wool and often having an oblong shape with a border design.

2. the treated skin of an animal, used as a floor covering.

   a bear rug.

3. Chiefly British.,  a piece of thick, warm cloth, used as a coverlet, lap robe, etc.

4. Slang.,  toupee; hairpiece.

rug

¹

/ rʌɡ /

noun

1. a floor covering, smaller than a carpet and made of thick wool or of other material, such as an animal skin

2. a blanket, esp one used as a wrap or lap robe for travellers

3. slang,  a wig

4. to betray, expose, or leave defenceless

RUG

²

abbreviation

1. restricted users group

Other Word Forms

• ruglike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rug¹

1545–55; < Old Norse rǫgg wool, long hairs; compare Norwegian rugga covering of coarse wool, Swedish rugg coarse hair

Word History and Origins

Origin of rug¹

C16: from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian rugga , Swedish rugg coarse hair. See _rag ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cut a rug, to dance, especially to jitterbug.

see pull the rug out from under; sweep under the rug. Also see under carpet.

Example Sentences

“I didn’t feel like it was being handled appropriately, and I kind of saw the writing on the wall, that it was something DEA was trying to brush under the rug,” Doherty said in court.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just before Candy’s fifth birthday, his father died of complications with heart disease, a sudden event that was largely swept under the rug by Candy’s family during his childhood.

Read more on Salon

It’s like he’s up again, and then all of a sudden the rug gets pulled out from underneath him again.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A sniff of a rotting old chair frightens Indy so much, he wets the rug.

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Explaining his decorating process, Piña says he likes to start with a statement piece such as an artwork, rug or piece of furniture and then build a story around it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• carpeting 
• mat 
• tapestry