polish1
/ˈpɒlɪʃ
/verb [with object]
1Make the surface of (something) smooth and shiny by rubbing it: behind the bar the steward polished glasses busily...
- A housekeeper polishes a glass cabinet displaying delicate mementos from Norway and New Zealand.
- The ends of the cork stoppers are then polished to present a smooth surface to the wine.
- A woman in a grey smock goes round polishing each glass cover after it's been kissed.
Synonyms
shine, wax, buff, rub up, rub down;
gloss, burnish, brighten, smooth;
varnish, oil, glaze, lacquer, enamel, japan, shellac
archaic furbish
1.1Improve, refine, or add the finishing touches to: he’s got to polish up his French for his job...
- So now it's the adults' turn to polish up their singing, dancing, recitation and music playing skills in time for the Senior Scor competition in February.
- Once the boat lift is open you'll be desperate to get in on the fantastic sailing and canoeing opportunities it opens up and who better to help you polish up your technique than Monster Activities.
- Locally, you might polish up your work for the Alexandra Writers' Centre Society FreeFall Fiction and Poetry Contest.
Synonyms
perfect, refine, improve, hone, embellish, enhance, put the finishing/final touches to;
brush up, revise, copy-edit, correct, emend, rewrite, rephrase, rescript, go over, touch up, finish off
informal clean up
noun [mass noun]
1A substance used to give something a smooth and shiny surface when rubbed in: a tin of shoe polish...
- Disguise scratches in your wood furniture with shoe polish, crayon or felt tip markers.
- The 49-year-old first had the idea for the invention when his mother, who suffered from arthritis, told him she was having trouble opening a tin of shoe polish.
- He wore a serviceable but plain jerkin over a woolen shirt that was warm and comfortable but darned in two places, and his boots could have used a shinier coat of polish.
Synonyms
wax, varnish, glaze, lacquer, enamel, japan, shellac
1.1 [in singular] An act of rubbing something to give it a shiny surface: I could give the wardrobe a polish...
- The underside of the panelled floor can be painted any colour, and the glass is sandblasted for a raised texture and given an acid polish for a shiny non-slip surface.
- I've even been damp dusting rather than just a quick polish but it's barely touching the surface.
- The heat burnishes the surface, creating a look different from a wet polish.
1.2Smoothness or glossiness produced by rubbing or friction: the machine refines the shape of the stone and gives it polish...
- A high degree of polish is achieved when the shaping plywood forms are faced with smooth plastic and the concrete is vibrated as it is being poured in place.
- The floors sparkled with polish, as did the freshly cleaned windows and chandelier.
- Grace holds herself up with her hand against the floor, which has acquired a bright sheen of polish.
Synonyms
shine, gloss, lustre, sheen, sparkle, patina, finish, smoothness
1.3Refinement or elegance in a person or thing: his poetry has clarity and polish...
- We are so covered with layers and layers of refinement, of social polish, of airs and graces and civilization and pretensions that the human in us almost ceases to exist.
- He soon made a strong impression in Germany as a brilliant and original conductor, who achieved great polish and refinement in his performances.
- That sign is to remind them that if they don't behave with polish and refinement at all times, they'll be punished.
Synonyms
sophistication, refinement, urbanity, suavity, suaveness, elegance, style, grace, finish, accomplishment, finesse, subtlety, distinction, taste, cultivation, culture, politeness, civility, gentility, breeding, courtesy, courteousness, (good) manners
informal class
humorous couth
Phrasal verbs
polish something off
Derivatives
polishable
- The uniform will include a blazer and tie along with ‘black sensible shoes’ which must be ‘polishable and polished’.
- Also, females at my school were only allowed to wear black, lace up, polishable shoes in a feminine style.
polisher
/ noun ...- A team of carpenters, glaziers, polishers and other craftsman are on site to restore the original building, repair cast iron gutters and fall pipes, and replace the windows in hardwood to the original specification.
- They include the woman who bustles self-importantly, organising the readers, and the brass polishers; and the man who feels the need to prostrate himself with arms across his body each time he leaves his pew.
- The diamonds he watches so closely are not the rocks on the rings of the rich and famous, they are tiny grains of pure carbon coating the blades, polishers and shapers the company produces.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French poliss-, lengthened stem of polir 'to polish', from Latin polire.
polite from Late Middle English:
Latin politus ‘polished, made smooth’ is the source of polite, with polish (Middle English) coming from the same root via French. Polite was originally used to mean ‘polished’, with the sense of something that is carefully finished and maintained being transferred to language and behaviour around 1500.
Polish2
/ˈpəʊlɪʃ/adjective
Relating to Poland, its inhabitants, or their language.The most difficult discussions centred on the Polish government and Poland's frontiers....
- Thousands of tons of food began to come into Poland for distribution by the Polish premier.
- He was born in 1926, in the Czech mill town of Ostrava, an afternoon's walk from the Polish border.
noun [mass noun]
The Western Slavic language of Poland, spoken by more than 40 million people.Cornell brought in a Polish women who said that the medium did in fact speak Polish....
- He escaped only because he was allowed to make a phone call and was able to alert his wife by speaking in his native Polish.
- If you don't speak Polish, click on the Union Jack icon at the top left for details in English.