sheep-dip

[sheep-dip]

noun

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

Origin of sheep-dip

First recorded in 1860–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sheep-dip

Historical Examples of sheep-dip

They dab a splotch of sheep-dip on the place and go right ahead.
Following the Equator, Complete
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
A large tub was filled with hot water, and a bottle of sheep-dip was emptied into it.
The African Colony
John Buchan
Say, Glenn, do you reckon Miss Carley could stand a sheep-dip?
The Call of the Canyon
Zane Grey
Not improbably this sheep-dip was what Flo meant as the worst to come.
The Call of the Canyon
Zane Grey
By itself, railroad coffee is too passive; but sheep-dip makes it wake up and get down to business.
Following the Equator, Complete
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for sheep-dip

sheep-dip

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