dishcloth

Everyday

1. A cloth used for washing or wiping dishes, cups and pans. tree →
2. (informal, UK) Sometimes also a cloth for drying dishes, usually called a tea towel. tree →

In the lessons

An everyday kitchen word. In lessons about the home and hygiene it reminds pupils that damp cloths can grow germs, so they should be washed and dried often. In stories a dishcloth often shows a busy, plain kitchen or a servant's hard work.

Examples

• Wring out the dishcloth after you wash up. tree →
• Mum wiped the table with a damp dishcloth. tree →
• The dishcloth smelled sour, so Dad put it in the washing machine. tree →
• Granny hung the dishcloth over the tap to dry. tree →
• In the busy kitchen the cook threw a dishcloth over her shoulder. tree →
• Germs grow fast in a wet dishcloth, so change it often. tree →
• I knitted a cotton dishcloth in craft club. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a dishcloth, two dishcloths. Written as one word. In the UK a cloth for drying dishes is a «tea towel», in the USA a «dish towel»; «dishcloth» is mainly for washing. «Dishrag» is another word for it, common in the USA.