rubbed

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of rub.

   The masseuse rubbed the tension out of his shoulders.

   By the time the show ended, she had rubbed the polish into every shoe.

   Note

   One spelling serves both the simple past and the participle, and the b doubles before the ending. With have it forms the perfect (she has rubbed it in). With be it forms the passive (the brass was rubbed up until it shone). In the polishing sense, up or over often follows, and before a noun the participle shades into the cooking adjective.

2. 2
   adjective

   In cooking, having had a substance, typically a seasoning, applied by rubbing it onto the surface.

   The pitmaster set the rubbed brisket in the smoker before dawn.

   Rubbed ribs need little more than a brush of sauce near the end of cooking.

   Similarseasoned, spiced

   Note

   A kitchen word that often appears in compounds naming what went on: spice-rubbed, herb-rubbed, coffee-rubbed. The rub itself is a dry mix or a thick paste that clings to the surface. A marinade is different, because the food soaks in liquid. The adjective takes no degrees: a brisket is rubbed or it isn't, and a cook never calls it more rubbed.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2