sheep-dip

American

[sheep-dip] / ˈʃipˌdɪp /

noun

a lotion or wash applied to the fleece or skin of sheep to kill vermin, usually applied by immersing the animals in vats.

sheep-dip British

noun

any of several liquid disinfectants and insecticides in which sheep are immersed to kill vermin and germs in their fleece
a deep trough containing such a liquid

"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

Etymology

Origin of sheep-dip

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last time you and I were together, we were at an event in D.C. where it felt like people were starting to get the message about this Leonard Leo sheep-dip process.

From Slate • Nov. 25, 2024

Approval for diazinon, mostly used as a sheep-dip in the UK, was revoked in this country in 1999 and its use in agriculture phased out from that date.

From The Guardian • Oct. 1, 2010

There is a pause, during which my father spits, and then the conversation turns to the price of cattle, the E.E.C., butter mountains, the cost of lime and sheep-dip.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 8, 2010

Denis' grandfather in Kent had discovered an effective sheep-dip and founded a company, Atlas Preservatives, to market it.

From Time Magazine Archive

But 'ee might ha' held 'is tongue last night about sheep-dip!

From Harvest by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023