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Crossword clues for rub

rub
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
rub
I.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
rub your eyes
▪ Anna rubbed her eyes wearily.
rubbing alcohol
rubbing...hands with glee
▪ Manufacturers are rubbing their hands with glee as they prepare to cash in.
shake/rub/wipe etc sth dry
▪ He wiped his hands dry with a handkerchief.
stroke/rub your chin (=stroke it in a way that shows you are thinking about something)
▪ He stroked his chin and then seemed to come to a decision.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
arm
▪ Ryker knelt beside her, shook her, rubbed her arms as if trying to restore the circulation.
▪ He rubbed his arms and unfastened his balancing pole but was too weak to raise it.
▪ Léonie rubbed her arm, very cross.
▪ I sucked on breath mints, rubbed deodorant under my arms and on my feet.
▪ It stared at it for a moment, rubbing its arms, and then it picked up the telephone.
▪ Nakki rubbed his legs and arms with raw onion.
▪ She rubbed her arm, where she had a large bruise above the elbow.
▪ The others huddled around Jack to give him the protection and warmth of their bodies, and rubbed his arms and legs.
back
▪ I remember rubbing my Dad's back and shoulders in the hospital.
▪ Mitchell rubbed the back of his neck, scowling.
▪ The blanket rubbed his tender back, setting up a prickle of pain.
▪ He stood facing the wall where the lizard stains were, rubbing the back of his neck.
▪ She rubbed the back of her neck with a gloved hand.
▪ But then she began to rub my back and neck, and to kiss me.
▪ The girl yawned and rubbed the back of her head just as the wind of Jezrael's exit ruffled the yellow curls.
▪ Andriutti was rubbing the back of his left arm with his right hand, as if it itched.
body
▪ He curled his tail round my legs, rubbing his body against me.
▪ And she had been special, Ruth gritted to herself as she rubbed her body liberally with shower gel.
cheek
▪ Katherine rubbed her cheek where the pain had been.
▪ She reached out to Connie and rubbed his cheek slowly and solemnly.
▪ She pulled one from its hanger and rubbed it against her cheek, her eyes closed.
▪ He pretended to rub the oft-offended cheek, and everyone laughed as Sabina grinned and went back to Mel.
▪ Thought of fat Goldberg shuffling round the glass in the little room, rubbing his unshaven cheeks, wheezing.
▪ The tack adds to this by rubbing the cheek against the sharp teeth.
chin
▪ Now, in the reluctant dawn light, he stood eyeing the carriage and rubbing his grizzled chin.
▪ He stood for a moment, rubbing his chin.
▪ With her other hand she rubbed me under my chin - my other weak spot.
▪ He rubbed his chin absently on the top of Tessa's head, so that he could look over it at the girl.
▪ Rip rubbed his chin, and noticed that he had a long, scraggly beard.
▪ Don't twiddle your hair, pull your ears, scratch your face, nor rub your nose or chin.
ear
▪ Cardiff shook his head, rubbing at his ears.
▪ He rubbed his ears, both of them at the same time.
▪ The sight of one of the boys rubbing a festering ear, while carrying food, also diminished his appetite.
▪ Mr Barraza crinkled up his face and rubbed his ears.
▪ He sighed and rubbed his ears.
▪ The bottle in her hand rubbed against his ear.
▪ I rub his ears briskly and pet him.
elbow
▪ I rubbed my elbow, regarding him thoughtfully.
▪ There were retro-outfit types rubbing elbows with people wearing the original gear.
▪ She came back into the kitchen, rubbing her elbow.
▪ Sun-bleached surfers rub elbows at the bar, and stray toddlers wander through the dining rooms.
▪ Léonie sat up, rubbing her elbows.
▪ In some instances, what enticed these donors to open their checkbooks was the chance to rub elbows with the president.
face
▪ Don't twiddle your hair, pull your ears, scratch your face, nor rub your nose or chin.
▪ Mr Barraza crinkled up his face and rubbed his ears.
▪ My bare face rubbed against the soft fuzz of her robe.
▪ Before bringing the receiver to his face, he rubs the earpiece and mouthpiece against the sleeve of his denim jacket.
finger
▪ The low mewling sound it made indicated its displeasure; those long, clawed fingers rubbed the bridge of its nose.
▪ He poured the lotion on his fingers, then rubbed his fingers lightly over the bites.
▪ I licked a finger and rubbed it on the stone.
▪ She wet her finger now and rubbed at an ink smudge on the desktop.
▪ Henry licked his finger, then rubbed it against his trouser leg.
▪ He pinched his eyes with his fingers and rubbed.
▪ Adam licked his fingers and rubbed them over his eyes as he tried to get accustomed to the dark.
foot
▪ At the end of the massage, briskly rub your feet to revitalize your energy.
▪ Then he reaches back with his hand and rubs his foot with it.
▪ Then she sits on the couch, slips off her black pumps and rubs her stocking feet together.
forehead
▪ Boltwood rubbed a little on the forehead of a four year-old who immune system was severely depressed.
▪ He rubbed his forehead, a look of dismay on his face that Rob had never seen there before.
▪ Craig rubbed at his forehead in a mingling of anger and despair.
▪ Then he rubbed his forehead. ` Sorry.
glee
▪ Thousands of people will be rubbing their hands with glee.
▪ I can see the disinfectant manufactures rubbing their hands with glee, confident of selling still stronger-smelling concoctions.
▪ Players' agents and satellite salesmen will be rubbing their hands with glee.
▪ And ace marksman Aldo is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.
▪ No doubt the outdoor equipment industry would rub its hands in glee at the thought of such a lucrative threat to its customers.
hair
▪ Today she was almost beside herself with desire, rubbing her hair dry with fierce, frantic energy.
▪ He looked down at me and rubbed my hair with his hand.
▪ Girls, caught by the arm, have snow rubbed into their hair like salt into a herring.
▪ He was still holding my hand and then he rubbed my hair.
▪ Don't rub hair with a towel after washing - blot and leave it to dry.
▪ Captain Trung had come up, helmet in one hand, rubbing his spiky hair with the other.
▪ He smiled and rubbed my hair.
▪ She sat outside the tarpaulin, rubbed her hair with ghee, then filled a basin with water and a little buttermilk.
hand
▪ She watched him raise one hand to rub the nape of his neck, then flex his shoulder muscles.
▪ He was still holding my hand and then he rubbed my hair.
▪ Then he reaches back with his hand and rubs his foot with it.
▪ Captain Trung had come up, helmet in one hand, rubbing his spiky hair with the other.
▪ Joe stared down at the large, rough hand gently rubbing against him.
▪ The bottle in her hand rubbed against his ear.
▪ Evidently terrified out of her wits, she had become delirious, mumbling incomprehensibly, her hands rubbing her stomach.
▪ Spin the straw by placing it between the palms of your hands, rubbing them back and forth.
head
▪ Grout glared at them both as he rubbed his smarting head.
▪ Interactivity: The sign promises luck should you rub the head of a certain fiberglass leprechaun.
▪ She leapt out of bed as he rubbed his head, cursing.
▪ He rubbed me on the head and said, All those white people are like that.
▪ Simon explains, whisking off his cap and rubbing his head gently.
▪ Cobalt sat up, swore and rubbed his head.
▪ First the owner starts to stroke the cat, tickle its ear, or gently rub its head.
▪ He rubbed his head rapidly, feeling his face turning red.
leg
▪ She heard the click of the gate; then nothing, except the crickets rubbing their back legs together in the grass.
▪ Elmer stands Magic on the concrete pad and rubs his legs.
▪ An hour or so later, Marek started to rub his leg and called across a nurse because his head ached.
▪ Nakki rubbed his legs and arms with raw onion.
▪ As he got out of the van he heard a soft purring and felt the warm caress of a cat rubbing his legs.
▪ The others huddled around Jack to give him the protection and warmth of their bodies, and rubbed his arms and legs.
▪ The former was still rubbing his legs, with small grimaces of pain.
▪ Then she started rubbing her arms and legs, like she was sitting in a snowbank.
neck
▪ But then she began to rub my back and neck, and to kiss me.
nose
▪ Even when you rub their noses in it, politicians can be remarkably slow to recognise reality for what it is.
▪ A child might not complain of itching, but she might be rubbing her eyes or nose repeatedly.
▪ The Deputy Under Secretary rubbed his nose, watched a flake of skin pirouette down to the opened pages of the file.
▪ He kept blinking to clear his eyes and now he rubbed his nose.
▪ He stepped forward, stopped suddenly, and rubbed his nose.
▪ She had defined what she perceived to be reality, and she kept trying to rub Scarlet's nose in it.
▪ They rubbed their noses on it so that globs of anthrax green snot hung off it in the morning.
palm
▪ Squirt it into your hand, rub your palms together then run them through your hair, ensuring even distribution.
▪ Fontaine bowed his head and studied his hands as he gently rubbed his palms together.
▪ Massingham picked them up and rubbed them between his palms and thumbs and sniffed.
▪ Doi-san squeezes shampoo into her hand and then rubs her palms together briskly.
▪ One hand was already rubbing against the palm of the other, the susurration of skin whispering under his voice.
▪ Matilda rubbed her palm against it and a white powder came off on to her skin.
salt
▪ Leeson was looking around for inspiration, a topic that didn't rub salt into wounds.
▪ To rub salt into the wound, they had Michael Mols sent off.
▪ To help keep these bold bloodsuckers at bay we rubbed wet salt on our boots.
▪ Trim any excess fat from the lamb, leaving the skin untouched, and rub the joint with salt and pepper.
▪ This means that the rinds are dipped or rubbed with salt during their ripening period.
▪ Boro rubbed salt into the wound by scoring with their first genuine scoring attempt.
▪ Some traditional bacons use the dry cure method of rubbing salt into the pork's surface without adding water.
▪ Fifth Street brought an eight, giving Dastmalchi an irrelevant pair to rub salt in Jacob's wounds.
shoulder
▪ His large untidy head was set close to shoulders which rubbed against the long lobes of his ears.
▪ He was kissing her shoulder and rubbing her thigh.
▪ Having your neck and shoulders rubbed, or better still a full body massage, is a good investment.
skin
▪ When peppers are cool enough to handle, the skin should rub off.
▪ You know, the skin rubbed off with carrying the barley.
▪ Stubborn patches of dry skin can be removed with a rough skin remover cream, rubbed in, then rinsed off.
▪ Trim any excess fat from the lamb, leaving the skin untouched, and rub the joint with salt and pepper.
▪ The skins can be rubbed with a little margarine prior to cooking.
▪ Mouth upon mouth, tongue against tongue, limb upon limb, skin rubbing at skin.
surface
▪ Alternatively, rub the surface with lemon, which helps to keep it smelling fresh and reduces staining.
▪ Divide mixture by number of eggplants and rub inner surfaces of eggplants with mixture.
▪ The loose graphite powder can be rubbed into paper surfaces to give a silvery-grey tone.
▪ The filler is rubbed hard across the surface of the wood, wiping off the surplus filler with a clean cloth.
▪ A small quantity of oil is sprinkled on a clean rag and rubbed well into the surface to be polished.
thumb
▪ He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, waved his hand, and sat there.
▪ Mitchell touched the silverware in front of him, rubbed his thumb in the hollow feminine side of the teaspoon.
wound
▪ Leeson was looking around for inspiration, a topic that didn't rub salt into wounds.
▪ It was rather like having a heated dagger thrust into the eyeball and twisted, then caustic soda rubbed in the wound.
▪ To rub salt into the wound, they had Michael Mols sent off.
▪ He just goes around there to rub dirt in their wounds.
▪ Boro rubbed salt into the wound by scoring with their first genuine scoring attempt.
wrist
▪ Then she rubbed her wrists and her forehead with a cologne stick.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Rub the bowl with garlic before adding the breadcrumbs.
▪ Rubbing a dock leaf on a nettle sting is said to get rid of the pain.
▪ About once a month I rub wax into the table to keep it in good condition.
▪ Alice yawned and rubbed her eyes.
▪ Ann woke up and rubbed her eyes.
▪ Badly fitting shoes will rub more painfully if you are not wearing socks.
▪ Bill had fallen on the path and was rubbing his knee.
▪ Colin yawned and rubbed his eyes.
▪ Could you rub my neck? It's really stiff.
▪ I had to rub hard to get the marks off.
▪ If you rub hard the knives will become really shiny.
▪ precious stones that have been rubbed smooth and set in gold
▪ Rodriguez rubbed his leg to ease the pain.
▪ She washed her hands and face, rubbing the lipstick away with a flannel.
▪ The teacher rubbed against the blackboard, getting chalk all over his back.
▪ The teacher turned and rubbed what he had written off the board.
▪ These days rucksacks are made with specially padded straps so that they do not rub against the shoulders.
▪ This seatbelt is rubbing my shoulder.
▪ Tom spread sun cream onto the baby's back and began to rub it in.
▪ When the cat rubs its back against my legs, I know it's hungry.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A fragment was rubbed into the eyes, causing them to water copiously.
▪ Had the ex-scumnik's laboriously acquired veneer rubbed away, though, at the prospect of mayhem?
▪ He rubbed polish in little circles on to the shoes that Erlich thought were impressively polished.
▪ Place the block oil-side down into some jeweller's rouge powder, then rub it on to the mirror edge.
▪ Scathach stirred, sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking at the dawn, scratching his beard.
▪ Sethe rubbed and rubbed, pressing the work cloth and the stony curves that made up his knee.
▪ Swallowing convulsively, she rubbed vigorously at her face and hair with a large bath towel until her skin burned.
II.noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ lemon and ginger rub
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ But here's the rub - there had been one here before!
▪ That, of course, had been the rub.
▪ The lake you say you have found in me suffers a climate entirely of my own making-and there is the rub.
▪ To sleep: perchance to dream: aye, there's the rub.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rub

Rub \Rub\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rubbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Rubbing.] [Probably of Celtic origin; cf. W. rhwbiaw, gael. rub.]

  1. To subject (a body) to the action of something moving over its surface with pressure and friction, especially to the action of something moving back and forth; as, to rub the flesh with the hand; to rub wood with sandpaper.

    It shall be expedient, after that body is cleaned, to rub the body with a coarse linen cloth.
    --Sir T. Elyot.

  2. To move over the surface of (a body) with pressure and friction; to graze; to chafe; as, the boat rubs the ground.

  3. To cause (a body) to move with pressure and friction along a surface; as, to rub the hand over the body.

    Two bones rubbed hard against one another.
    --Arbuthnot.

  4. To spread a substance thinly over; to smear.

    The smoothed plank, . . . New rubbed with balm.
    --Milton.

  5. To scour; to burnish; to polish; to brighten; to cleanse; -- often with up or over; as, to rub up silver.

    The whole business of our redemption is to rub over the defaced copy of the creation.
    --South.

  6. To hinder; to cross; to thwart. [R.] 'T is the duke's pleasure, Whose disposition, all the world well knows, Will not be rubbed nor stopped. --Shak. To rub down.

    1. To clean by rubbing; to comb or curry; as, to down a horse.

    2. To reduce or remove by rubbing; as, to rub down the rough points. To rub off, to clean anything by rubbing; to separate by friction; as, to rub off rust. To rub out, to remove or separate by friction; to erase; to obliterate; as, to rub out a mark or letter; to rub out a stain. To rub up.

      1. To burnish; to polish; to clean.

      2. To excite; to awaken; to rouse to action; as, to rub up the memory.

Rub

Rub \Rub\, v. i.

  1. To move along the surface of a body with pressure; to grate; as, a wheel rubs against the gatepost.

  2. To fret; to chafe; as, to rub upon a sore.

  3. To move or pass with difficulty; as, to rub through woods, as huntsmen; to rub through the world.

    To rub along or on, to go on with difficulty; as, they manage, with strict economy, to rub along. [Colloq.]

Rub

Rub \Rub\, n. [Cf. W. rhwb. See Rub, v,t,]

  1. The act of rubbing; friction.

  2. That which rubs; that which tends to hinder or obstruct motion or progress; hindrance; obstruction, an impediment; especially, a difficulty or obstruction hard to overcome; a pinch.

    Every rub is smoothed on our way.
    --Shak.

    To sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub.
    --Shak.

    Upon this rub, the English ambassadors thought fit to demur.
    --Hayward.

    One knows not, certainly, what other rubs might have been ordained for us by a wise Providence.
    --W. Besant.

  3. Inequality of surface, as of the ground in the game of bowls; unevenness.
    --Shak.

  4. Something grating to the feelings; sarcasm; joke; as, a hard rub.

  5. Imperfection; failing; fault. [Obs.]
    --Beau. & Fl.

  6. A chance. [Obs.]

    Flight shall leave no Greek a rub.
    --Chapman.

  7. A stone, commonly flat, used to sharpen cutting tools; a whetstone; -- called also rubstone.

    Rub iron, an iron guard on a wagon body, against which a wheel rubs when cramped too much.

    Rub of the green (Golf), anything happening to a ball in motion, such as its being deflected or stopped by any agency outside the match, or by the fore caddie.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
rub

"act of rubbing," 1610s, from rub (v.); earlier "obstacle, inequality on ground" (1580s, common in 17c.) which is the figure in Hamlet's there's the rub (1602).

rub

early 14c., transitive and intransitive, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to East Frisian rubben "to scratch, rub," and Low German rubbeling "rough, uneven," or similar words in Scandinavian (compare Danish rubbe "to rub, scrub," Norwegian rubba), of uncertain origin. Related: Rubbed; rubbing.\n

\nTo rub (someone) the wrong way is from 1853; probably the notion is of cats' fur. To rub noses in greeting as a sign of friendship (attested from 1822) formerly was common among Eskimos, Maoris, and some other Pacific Islanders. Rub out "obliterate" is from 1560s; underworld slang sense of "kill" is recorded from 1848, American English. Rub off "remove by rubbing" is from 1590s; meaning "have an influence" is recorded from 1959.

Wiktionary
rub

n. 1 An act of rubbing. 2 A difficulty or problem. 3 In the game of crown green bowls: any obstacle by which a bowl is diverted from its normal course. 4 Any substance designed to be applied by rubbing. 5 # A mixture of spices applied to meat before it is barbecued. vb. (context transitive English) To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction.

Related phrases:
WordNet
rub

  1. n. an unforeseen obstacle [syn: hang-up, hitch, snag]

  2. the act of rubbing or wiping; "he gave the hood a quick rub" [syn: wipe]

  3. [also: rubbing, rubbed]

rub

  1. v. move over something with pressure; "rub my hands"; "rub oil into her skin"

  2. cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: fray, fret, chafe, scratch]

  3. scrape or rub as if to relieve itching; "Don't scratch your insect bites!" [syn: scratch, itch]

  4. [also: rubbing, rubbed]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Rub

Rub or RUB may refer to:

Rub (album)

Rub is the sixth studio album by Canadian recording artist Peaches, released on September 25, 2015.

The album was produced by Vice Cooler with Peaches in her Los Angeles garage throughout 2013 and 2014. In June 2015 the album was announced to contain guest vocal appearances by Kim Gordon, Feist, and Simonne Jones.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "rub".

I was, therefore, obliged to give it up, as you may imagine, but I own I went away with rather a heavy heart, for the horse had looked at me affectionately, had rubbed his head against me and, when I mounted him, had pranced in the most delightful way imaginable, so that I was altogether fascinated with him.

She took ambergris from her pack and crumbled it, rubbed the waxy green granules into the soles of her feet, her wrists.

The arm on which she had rubbed the ambergris was sliding free, for the fabric did not adhere to it.

Taking the towel as Amine left to hang her clothes, Christina rubbed her body down vigorously.

Billy Anker absently rubbed his right hand as if to alleviate the pain of his missing fingers.

When Aumery dried him off, Michel rubbed the stubble on his head, feeling vulnerable with the air moving against his scalp and his bare, clean skin.

She slipped the red bandanna off her head and rubbed her sweaty face with it.

The bather had no soap, but used rough fibre gloves with which he rubbed the surface of his skin until it glowed.

The beshti set to bawling and rumbling, rubbing necks and heads and snuffing familiar scents, as happy as the rest of them, weary as the creatures were, and deserving of rest.

Camille his thigh, and she, fancying herself on the boards, began to rub the sick man, whilst I mumbled in an undertone words which they would not have understood however clearly I had spoken, seeing that I did not understand them myself.

The act of eating, however, with all its gustatory noises, the stinking belch that filled the cavern, the rubbing of the behemothian stomach-all this, all at once, horrifying and sickening both.

He rubbed it bethumb and forefinger, as if testing its texture, then handed it to Howard.

He rubbed his hands, and the character of his joy was so evidently ferocious that de Beze shuddered: he saw the sea of blood his master was contemplating.

He rubbed the engraved opal that was the bezel of the ring and it began to glow like a brightening ember, smoky crimson shot with livid green at first, then kindling to a vivid scarlet.

As she looked him over, she rubbed at her eyes, which were bloodshot from smoking the potent bhang they grow on Summerworld.