soaping

Pluralsoapings

1. 1
   nouncountable

   An act of cleaning something with soap.

   The mechanic gave the greasy engine parts a thorough soaping before rinsing them.

   Each soaping stripped another layer of grime from the weathered statue.

   Similarwash, scrubbing, lathering

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of soap.

   The attendant is soaping the windshield before scrubbing away the bugs.

   They were soaping the horses down after the long ride home.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs. After be it builds the progressive (they were soaping the horses), and on its own it heads a gerund phrase (soaping the car took an hour). It carries every meaning of the verb: plain washing, lathering something as a prank, and the dated slang sense of flattering someone. Taking a direct object marks it as verbal, unlike the countable noun, which takes an article and a plural, soapings.

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