See Also:

rub(3) (iou)



rub verb. Infl. -bb-. ME.
[Perh. from Low German rubben of unkn. origin.]
verb intrans. Move and at the same time press on or against something. ME.
K. Mansfield The..cat..rubbed against her knees.
verb trans. Subject (a surface or substance) to the action of something moving over it with pressure and friction (foll. by with); subject to pressure and friction in order to clean, polish, make smooth, etc.; treat with a substance applied in this way. LME.
Joyce They..rubbed him all over with spermacetic oil. J. Steinbeck He rubbed his..cheek with his knuckles. G. Swift He took off his glasses and began to rub them..with a handkerchief.
b. Reproduce the design of (a monumental brass or stone) by placing a sheet of paper over it and rubbing it with heelball or coloured chalk. M19.
verb trans. Move (one thing) to and fro over another with pressure and friction (foll. by against, over). Foll. by together: move (two things) against each other in this way. LME.
J. M. Barrie You can obtain a light by rubbing two pieces of stick together. S. Cooper Westerly rubbed a hand over his own eyes. A. Carter I'd rub my back against..chairs, as cats do.
b. Bring (corresponding parts of the bodies of two people) into mutual contact. Chiefly in rub elbows, rub shoulders below. M17.
verb intrans. Foll. by along, on (also through, out): continue with more or less difficulty; contrive, make shift; manage, get by; get along. colloq. LME.
R. W. Clark Most..rubbed along well enough with their neighbours.
verb trans. Orig. (Scot.), grind (grain etc.) to meal by friction; produce (meal) by this process. Later also (gen.), reduce to powder by friction. E16.
verb trans.
a. Affect painfully or disagreeably; annoy, irritate. Cf. rub the wrong way, rub up the wrong way below. Now rare. E16.
J. Galsworthy He did not wish to rub his nieces, he had no quarrel with them.
b. Impede, hinder. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17.
verb trans. Remove, take away, by rubbing. Foll. by from, off, out of. E16.
C. E. Riddell London..has begun to rub the sleepy dust out of her..eyes.
verb intrans. Go, make off. Usu. foll. by off. Now rare or obsolete. M16.
verb intrans. Of a bowl: be slowed or diverted by unevenness of the ground, an obstacle, etc. L16.
verb trans. Revive in the memory; recall to mind. Now usu. foll. by up. L16.
b. Foll. by up: refresh (one's memory); brush up (a subject). M17.
N. Mitford He had gone to Barcelona to rub up his Spanish.
verb trans. Force into or through, spread over, a surface by rubbing. L16.
M. Keane She could..rub methylated spirit..into his heel.
verb intrans. Bear rubbing; admit of being rubbed (off, out, etc.). L17.
C. H. Spurgeon Dirt will rub off when it is dry.
verb trans. Chafe, abrade. E19.
Phrases: not have two pennies to rub together & vars., lack money, be poor. rub a person's nose in it: see NOSE noun. rub elbows (chiefly US) = rub shoulders below. rub noses (of two people) touch noses in greeting, as a sign of friendship in some societies. rub one's hands move one's hands to and fro against each other, usu. to signify keen satisfaction or to generate warmth. rub salt in a person's wound(s), rub salt in the wound(s): see SALT noun1. rub shoulders come into contact (with). rub the wrong way annoy, irritate (cf. rub up the wrong way below).
With adverbs in specialized senses: rub away remove by rubbing. rub down (a) clean (a horse) from dust and sweat by rubbing; (b) make smooth, grind down, etc., by rubbing; (c) colloq. search (a person) by passing one's hand all over the body. rub in (a) apply (dry colours) by rubbing; draw or sketch in this way; (b) apply (an ointment etc.) by means of continued rubbing; (c) slang emphasize, reiterate, (esp. something disagreeable); freq. in rub it in. rub off (of a quality) have an effect (on a person) through close or continued contact; (see also senses 6, 7, 10 above). rub out erase by rubbing; fig. (N. Amer.) kill, eliminate (see also senses 4, 10 above). rub over go over (with the hand, a tool, etc.) in the process of rubbing. rub up (a) mix or prepare by rubbing; (b) slang caress in order to excite sexually; (c) slang masturbate; (d) make clean, clear, or bright (again) by rubbing; (e) (in full rub up the wrong way) annoy, irritate (cf. rub the wrong way above); (see also sense 9b above).
Comb.: rub-board (a) a board fitted with teeth between which linen is drawn; (b) N. Amer. a washboard; rub-down an act of rubbing down; rub-out US slang a murder, an assassination, esp. of one gangster by another; rub-rail a rail to protect a vehicle etc. against rubbing; rubstone a stone for sharpening or smoothing a surface by rubbing, esp. a kind of whetstone; rub-up an act of rubbing up.