scrub-up

[ skruhb-uhp ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act of washing or bathing thoroughly, especially the aseptic washing by doctors, nurses, etc., before a surgical operation.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of scrub-up¹

First recorded in 1915–20

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Idioms and Phrases

Thoroughly wash one's hands and forearms, as before performing surgery. For example, The residents had to scrub up in case they were called on to assist with the operation . [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

We mustnt even waste the time for me to scrub up, and Im taking no chances at all with any non-surgical conditions.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, as fortune would have it, the housekeeper sent them in to scrub up the floor behind the clerk's desk.

From Project Gutenberg

It takes her a week to scrub up the kitchen, and then one end of it is so dirty she has to begin again.

From Project Gutenberg

The least yer can do is ter scrub up, comb yer har an' put on a clean shirt ter-morrer.

From Project Gutenberg

So he climbed through the scrub up the mountain-side till he came out upon a grassy slope, two hundred feet above the camp.

From Project Gutenberg

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April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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

scrub typhus scrubwoman

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