dishcloth

nounB1Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speech — dish sits at #2,249leans spoken

A dishcloth is a small cloth for wiping plates and surfaces. Wring out the dishcloth.

It is the dirtiest thing in most kitchens and is used to clean everything else. A dishcloth should be boiled or replaced far more often than anybody does either.

Definitions of dishcloth

1noundishclothA small cloth for wiping plates and surfaces.B1
“He wiped the table with a dishcloth that had seen better weeks.”
- Said"Wring the dishcloth out properly; it stinks if you leave it wet."
- WrittenA grey dishcloth hung over the tap, and the whole kitchen could be read from it.
- UsedBoil the dishcloth on a hot cycle every few days.
- ContrastA dishcloth, not a towel. A towel dries what is clean; a dishcloth wipes what is not. towel →
- Not thisA sponge is not a dishcloth, though both wipe. A dishcloth is fabric, and goes in the wash.
- Exchange"Where's the dishcloth?""Drying on the rail. Use the blue one."
- SimplyThe table is dirty. Get the dishcloth.
Patterna damp / clean / dirty dishcloth · wipe sth with a dishcloth · wring out a dishcloth · dish towel

dishcloth is a cloth.

Remember it

DISH-CLOTH → the CLOTH for the DISHes

Exactly what it says: the small cloth you wipe the dishes with.

hooks ontodish cloth

Where it comes from

dish + cloth.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Definitions of dishcloth

1noundishclothA small cloth for wiping plates and surfaces.B1

“He wiped the table with a dishcloth that had seen better weeks.”

Said"Wring the dishcloth out properly; it stinks if you leave it wet."
WrittenA grey dishcloth hung over the tap, and the whole kitchen could be read from it.
UsedBoil the dishcloth on a hot cycle every few days.
ContrastA dishcloth, not a towel. A towel dries what is clean; a dishcloth wipes what is not. towel →
Not thisA sponge is not a dishcloth, though both wipe. A dishcloth is fabric, and goes in the wash.
Exchange"Where's the dishcloth?""Drying on the rail. Use the blue one."
SimplyThe table is dirty. Get the dishcloth.

Patterna damp / clean / dirty dishcloth · wipe sth with a dishcloth · wring out a dishcloth · dish towel

dishcloth is a cloth.