Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Washboard

Definitions: Washboard

Washboard

Noun

1. Device consisting of a corrugated surface to scrub clothes on.

2. Protective covering consisting of a broad plank along a gunwale to keep water from splashing over the side.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "washboard" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1894. (references)


Specialty Definitions: Washboard

DomainDefinitions

Computing

A defect which may be found in films exposed on rotary cameras characterized by alternate bands of greater and lesser density, the axis of the bands being perpendicular to the axis of the film. Source: European Union. (references)

Dream Interpretation

To see a washboard in your dreams, is indicative of embarrassment. If you see a woman using one, it predicts that you will let women rob you of energy and fortune.
A broken one, portends that you will come to grief and disgraceful deeds through fast living. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....

Food & Agriculture

A strake of thin planking fitted above the gunwale in open boats or around the edge of a cockpit. It increases the freeboard and keeps out the spray. Source: European Union. (references)

Industry

The closely ridged surface of a face or edge resulting from faulty action of the saw or planing cutter. Source: European Union. (references)
 Horizontal fine laps or ripples, usually on the walls of the container. Source: European Union. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Washboard

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Washboard is, literally, a clothes-cleaning washboard. As musical instruments, the Washboard and Froittoir employ the ribbed metal surface of the cleaning device as a rhythm instrument.

The washboard is mounted in a wooden frame while the frottoir is made only from the metal ribbing and is hung around the neck and called the Cajun Rub-Board Vest.

The frottoir is played as a stroked percussion instrument, often in a band with a drummer, while the washboard generally is a replacement for drums.


a washboard (left) and a piano player
In a jug band, the washboard was stroked with a single whisk-broom and functions as the drums for the band, playing only on the back-beat, for most songs, as a substitute for a snare drum. In a four-beat measure, the washboard will stroke on the 2-beat and the 4-beat. Best sound is achieved using a single steel-wire snare-brush, or whisk-broom.

However, in a jazz setting, the washboard can also be played with thimbles on all fingers, tapping out much more complex rhythms, as in the Washboard Rhythm Kings, a full-sized band.

Some washboard players may add other small percussion devices to the washboard, such as a cymbal, woodblock, or cow bell, which can periodically be struck to vary the effect.

A frottoir is played with a stoking instrument (usually thimble-gloves or a pair of bottle-openers) in each hand. In a 4-beat measure, the Frottoir will be stroked 8 to 16 times. It plays more like a Latin percussion instrument, rather than as a drum.

Quotation

The thimbles on her fingers make the noise
She plays the Charleston of the laundry for the boys
She can rag a tune right through the knees
Of a brand-new pair of BVD's
Coney Island washboard rondelay
"Coney Island Washboard"

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Washboard."

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Synonym: Washboard

Synonym: splashboard (n). (additional references)
Synonyms by domain: weatherboard (food & agriculture), weather-board.

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Crosswords: Washboard

English words defined with "washboard": Wasteboard. (references)
Specialty definitions using "washboard": Washboard. (references)

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Modern Usage: Washboard

DomainUsage

Lyrics

Rooster hits the washboard and people just got to smile, (DOWN ON THE CORNER; performing artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Mama scrubbed our clothes on a washboard ever day ("Coal Miner's Daughter"; performing artist: Loretta Lynn)

Mommy scrubbed our clothes on a washboard ever' day (Coal Miner's Daughter; performing artist: Loretta Lynn)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Washboard

DomainTitle

Theater & Movies

  

Music

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Washboard

Photos:
Washboard

More images...

Illustrations:
Washboard

More images...

Computer Images:
Washboard

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Photo Album: Washboard

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

Negro musicians playing accordion and washboard in front of store, near New Iberia, Louisiana.Credit: Library of Congress.

Negro musicians in car playing accordion and washboard and singing. Near New Iberia, Louisiana.Credit: Library of Congress.

Negro musicians playing accordion and washboard in automobile. Near New Iberia, Louisiana.Credit: Library of Congress.

Folk musical instruments including homemade horns, homemade drum, and washboard.Credit: Library of Congress.

Hypnotist directing group of people to do unusual activities: woman playing washboard, woman riding man, men using brooms as musical instruments, policeman using sausage as weapon.Credit: Library of Congress.

  

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Sounds Captioned with "Washboard".

PlayCaption
Scraping washboard once.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Washboard

"Washboard" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Washboard" is used about 14 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (singular)100%1493,893

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Washboard

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

  washboard abs

46

  washboard

42

  get washboard abs

21

  washboard stomach

18

  washboard festival

8

  columbus company washboard

5

  antique washboard

4

  company national washboard

3

  glass washboard

3

  hank washboard

3

  co columbus washboard

3

  abs gallery washboard

3

  134.com company national no washboard

3

  festival international washboard

2

  get stomach washboard

2

  abs picture washboard

2

  instrument washboard

2

  columbus washboard

2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Washboard

Language Translations for "washboard"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

rrugë me hulli kryq-e-tërthor, dërrasë për larje rrobash. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

цокъл (dado, die, pedestal, socket, socle), перваз (baseboard, border, edge, ledge, sill, skirt, skirting, skirting board, trim). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

防浪板. (various references)

   

Danish

  

vaskebraet (ladder), vaskebraedt (ladder), vaskebrætdensitet, vaskebræt, skvaetbord, skvætbord (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), korrugering (corrugation, ribbing, rippling, washboarding), bølgedannelse (corrugation). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

wasplankvorm, wasplanksnede, zetboorden, zetboord (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), vloeiplanken, opboeisel (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), golving (corrugation, settle mark, settle wave, shadow, waviness). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

varpelaita (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), varpe (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), varalaita (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), tien pinnan aaltomaisuus (corrugation), poimuisuus (corrugation), pesulauta-aallot (ladder), lisälaita (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard). (various references)

   

French

  

vagues (waviness), planche laver, peau de crapaud, fargues, fargue (wash strake, waste board). (various references)

   

German

  

Waschbrett (ladder, wash board). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

κυματοειδής αυλάκωση (corrugation), ραβδόμορφη ανωμαλία πριστής επιφάνειας, σελίς, σελίδα (folio, page, wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), σανίδα για το τρίψιμο των ρούχων κατά την πλύση, πέλα, οριζόντιες πτυχώσεις γυαλικών (ladder). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

שפשפת (doormat). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

mosódeszka. (various references)

   

Italian

  

superficie a pelle di rospo (ladder), rugosit (channel roughness, roughness, rugosity, texture), falchette, falchetta (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), falche, falca (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

洗濯板 . (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

せ"たくいた. (various references)

   

Korean 

  

빨래판. (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

ashboardway

   

Portuguese

  

tábua de lavar roupa (ladder), tábua de lavar, ressaltos (quilted, rough-sawn), pele de sapo (drag, hogging, ladder, orange peel), ondulação (buckling, cockling, corrugation, crimp, crimpling, curl, curling, dimple, disturbance, drift, fold, friezing, friz, frizz, gurgitation, Popple, ripple, swell, swim, undulation, wave, waviness, wrinkle), linhas de travagem da gota (ladder), borda de tempo (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

колейный износ дороги, плинтус (baseboard, plinth, skirting, skirting board). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

daska za pranje rublja. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

piel de sapo (drag, hogging, ladder, orange peel, smear), ondulada (having a ripple, rippled), ondulaciones, ondulación (batter, cobble, cockle(cast and float glass), corrugation, crimp, drift, hammer, ripple, rippling, settle mark, settle wave, shadow, swim, undulation, wave), guardaguas, guardagua (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), falcas, falca (wash strake, waste board, weatherboard), arruga horizontal (ladder), ásperas (ladder). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

ytojämnhet, tvättbräde (corrugation, rippling), tvättbräda (ladder), spår (clue, corrugation, dimple for a shot pin, evidence, groove, hint, impression, line, metals, notch, scan, scent, scrap, sign, slot, spoor, taint, touch, trace, track, tracking, trail, undercut, vestige, way, whiff), korrugering (corrugation, rippling). (various references)

   

Turkish

  

tümsekli yol, dalga siperi, çamaşır yıkama tahtası. (various references)

   

Ukranian 

  

планшир (gunnel, gunwale), дошка для прання. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Derivations: Washboard

Derivations

Words beginning with "washboard": washboards. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Washboard"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "washboard" (pronounced wÄ"shbô'rd)
5-sh b ô' r ddashboard.
4-b ô' r daboveboard, baseboard, billboard, blackboard, cardboard, checkerboard, chessboard, chipboard, clapboard, clipboard, containerboard, dartboard, fiberboard, fibreboard, fingerboard, floorboard, hardboard, headboard, inboard, keyboard, linerboard, mopboard, onboard, outboard, overboard, paperboard, pegboard, plasterboard, pressboard, scoreboard, seaboard, shipboard, skateboard, smorgasbord, snowboard, springboard, storyboard, surfboard, switchboard, wallboard.
3-ô' r dbroadsword, clavichord, concord, harpsichord, landlord, notochord, overlord, underinsured, warlord.

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Washboard

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-a-b-d-h-o-r-s-w"

-3 letters: abhors, aboard, abroad, adsorb, awards, bashaw, boards, broads, dobras, hoards, shadow, sradha.

-4 letters: abash, abhor, award, awash, bards, bawds, board, boars, boras, brads, brash, braws, broad, brows, darbs, dhows, dobra, dorsa, drabs, draws, haars, hards, hoard, hoars, horas, roads, sabra, sarod, shard, sowar, sward, sword, wards, woads, words.

-5 letters: aahs, abas, abos, ados.

 Words containing the letters "a-a-b-d-h-o-r-s-w"
 

+1 letter: washboards.

 

+2 letters: handbarrows.

 

+4 letters: weatherboards.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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Alternative Orthography: Washboard


Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)

57 61 73 68 62 6F 61 72 64

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)

American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)

=

Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)

Braille (1829, in France) (references)

Morse Code (1836) (references)

.--.    .-    ...    ....    -...    ---    .-    .-.    -..

Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)

Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)

01010111 01100001 01110011 01101000 01100010 01101111 01100001 01110010 01100100

HTML Code (1990) (references)

&#87 &#97 &#115 &#104 &#98 &#111 &#97 &#114 &#100

ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)

0057 0061 0073 0068 0062 006F 0061 0072 0064

British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)

Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)

576785746881678470

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Sounds
9. Usage Frequency
10. Expressions: Internet
11. Translations: Modern
12. Derivations
13. Rhymes
14. Anagrams
15. Orthography
16. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.