bagwashn.
/ˈbaɡwɒʃ/, U.S. /ˈbæɡˌwɔʃ/, /ˈbæɡˌwɑʃ/ The rough unfinished washing of clothes; a laundry that undertakes such rough washing; the ‘bag’ of clothes prepared for, or given, this type of washing. Also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing clothes and textile articles > [noun] > rough unfinished washing
bagwash1937
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing clothes and textile articles > [noun] > place where washing is done > a commercial laundry
wash-house1856
Chinese laundry1881
bagwash1937
1937 E. Garnett Family from One End St. i. 4 A blue board on which was painted..‘The Ideal Laundry. Careful Hand Work’, and underneath..‘Bag-wash’.
1944 Our Towns (ed. 2) ii. 61 There is as yet no good answer to the difficulties of the townswoman in congested areas except municipal washhouses or the bag-wash.
1949 Here & Now (N.Z.) Oct. 17/3 The bag-wash service is certainly not cheap.
1950 Here & Now (N.Z.) Dec. 10/1 Some send their clothes to the bagwash and do only occasional washing at home.
1952 Economist 20 Sept. 673 Self-service launderettes are shops where a woman ‘posts’ her washing into a machine which delivers it half an hour later, washed and semi-dried... It is basically the old ‘bagwash’ idea.
1966 Times 1 Dec. 15/3 If you are interested in finding a laundry offering bagwash, you should check with the Institute of British Launderers and Cleaners, who will tell you whether there is one within easy reach.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
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n.1937