2019年5月11日 · To clarify more, "wash up" is definitely used in both American English and British English, but the specific usage to mean "wash the dishes" is British English only. In American English, to "wash up" means to wash (parts of) your body, usually the hands but possibly any part that needs it, up to fully taking a shower.

2015年5月24日 · to clean one's face and hands : go wash up before dinner; to be have the ocean currents and waves carry something to a beach : after the shipwreck, most of the cargo washed up on the shores of the island; to be past one's prime : _he was a first-rate programmer back in the early 80s, but he hasn't kept up – he's washed up

Yes, I understood the play on words, I just wondered if that originated from an elaborate explanation to a child which misunderstood "to wash what's possible", asking in return for the meaning of "to wash possible", responding with a pun made up on the spot. I mean, something must have sparked the imagination on that one. –

2019年10月15日 · Grammatically, I wash my teeth is quite correct. Idiomatically, it is not. People don't talk like that. As you note, the usual expression is to brush one's teeth because one usually uses a toothbrush to clean them. People sometimes use twigs and plants to clean their teeth when the usual equipment is lacking. But even then, wash isn't an easy fit.

The word up in sweep up suggests upward motion of the objects that are dragged along with the motion, as well as thoroughness but not necessarily completeness, analogous to its use in phrases like pick up (to mean cleaning or organizing), clean up, mop up, straighten up, etc. The dirt or objects to be removed are typically on the floor (when ...

2016年12月27日 · The term 'wash your mouth out (with soap/soapy water)' is an expression that is used humorously when someone has used a rude or offensive word. It's a throwback to a time where washing a child's mouth out with soap and water was considered a legitimate punishment for speaking rudely or using bad language.

and sometimes up is used in place of an object, when that object is obvious from the context: Go wash your hands before dinner. Go wash up before dinner. (but not: Go wash up your hands before dinner.) Now, back to save and save up. I don't think save up is really much different from save, although save by itself can be used in a broader array ...

2021年3月19日 · Q1.I heard a native speaker say that the expression "to wash the dishes" is wrong, and that it should be told like "to do the dishes". Is she right? If so, why is that? Both are commonly spoken in the region where I come from. Why she says wash is wrong I am not sure. However possibly she commenting on what action is taking place.

2014年12月12日 · What do you call the stuff you use to wash clothes? I know washing up liquid is detergent, used in washing dishes, but I don't know the proper name for the stuff used for clothes. If it's powder, you can say washing powder right?

2017年12月17日 · You use the washing machine to do the laundry. You can also "put a wash through the machine". In context, you can "do the washing" - if the listener knows you're already talking about clothes. But if you're not already talking about clothes, then "do the washing" could refer to other things: for example doing the washing up (crockery and cutlery).