RUBBER

rubber, no-good

(adjective) returned for lack of funds; “a rubber check”; “a no-good check”

arctic, galosh, golosh, rubber, gumshoe

(noun) a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow

condom, rubber, safety, safe, prophylactic

(noun) contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse

rubber

(noun) a contest consisting of a series of successive matches between the same sides; “he won three out of five games to take the rubber”

rubber, natural rubber, India rubber, gum elastic, caoutchouc

(noun) an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

rubber, synthetic rubber

(noun) any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties resemble natural rubber

rubberize, rubberise, rubber

(verb) coat or impregnate with rubber; “rubberize fabric for rain coats”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

rubber (usually uncountable, plural rubbers)

(uncountable) Pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon polymer of isoprene.

(uncountable, countable) Synthetic materials with the same properties as natural rubber.

(countable, UK, Australia, NZ) An eraser.

(countable, North America, slang) A condom.

Synonym: Thesaurus:condom

(countable) Someone or something which rubs.

One who rubs down horses.

One who practises massage.

A coarse towel for rubbing the body.

An abrasive for rubbing with: a whetstone, file, or emery cloth, etc.

(historical) The cushion of an electric machine.

(countable, baseball) The rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch.

Synonyms: pitcher's plate, pitcher's rubber

(North America, in the plural) Water-resistant shoe covers, galoshes, overshoes.

(uncountable, slang) Tires, particularly racing tires.

(slang, dated) A hardship or misfortune.

Adjective

rubber

(slang, of a draft/check) Not covered by funds on account.

Synonyms

• (of a draft/check): hot, bad

Usage notes

Colloquially, a check that has insufficient funds to cover it is said to "bounce"; consequently, a check that will immediately bounce is referred to as "rubber" or a "rubber check."

Etymology 2

Noun

rubber (plural rubbers)

(sports) In relation to a series of games or matches between two competitors where the overall winner of the series is the competitor which wins a majority of the individual games or matches

The entire series, of an odd number of games or matches in which ties are impossible (especially a series of three games in bridge or whist).

An individual match within the series (especially in racquet sports).

(sports, North America) A rubber match; a game or match played to break a tie.

The game of rubber bridge.

Etymology 3

Verb

rubber (third-person singular simple present rubbers, present participle rubbering, simple past and past participle rubbered)

(telephony) To eavesdrop on a telephone call

(slang) To rubberneck; to observe with unseemly curiosity.

Source: Wiktionary


Rub"ber, n.

1. One who, or that which, rubs. Specifically: (a) An instrument or thing used in rubbing, polishing, or cleaning. (b) A coarse file, or the rough part of a file. (c) A whetstone; a rubstone. (d) An eraser, usually made of caoutchouc. (e) The cushion of an electrical machine. (f) One who performs massage, especially in a Turkish bath. (g) Something that chafes or annoys; hence, something that grates on the feelings; a sarcasm; a rub. Thackeray.

2. In some games, as whist, the odd game, as the third or the fifth, when there is a tie between the players; as, to play the rubber; also, a contest determined by the winning of two out of three games; as, to play a rubber of whist. Beaconsfield. "A rubber of cribbage." Dickens.

3. India rubber; caoutchouc.

4. An overshoe made of India rubber. [Colloq.] Antimony rubber, an elastic durable variety of vulcanized caoutchouc of a red color. It contains antimony sulphide as an important constituent.

– Hard rubber, a kind of vulcanized caoutchouc which nearly resembles horn in texture, rigidity, etc.

– India rubber, caoutchouc. See Caoutchouc.

– Rubber cloth, cloth covered with caoutchouc for excluding water or moisture.

– Rubber dam (Dentistry), a shield of thin sheet rubber clasped around a tooth to exclude saliva from the tooth.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

28 April 2024

POLYGENIC

(adjective) of or relating to an inheritable character that is controlled by several genes at once; of or related to or determined by polygenes


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Coffee Trivia

In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.

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