swabber
Ship floor washer
A swabber is someone who swabs—typically a sailor assigned to mop or clean the decks of a ship.
The term is nautical and old-fashioned, evoking images of lowly crew members performing menial tasks: The swabbers worked through the night scrubbing the deck.
By extension, swabber can mean any person who cleans with a mop or swab.
Floor-washing implement
- scrubClean by rubbing hard
- wipeRub to clean
- bucketOpen-top carrying vessel
- squeegeeRubber-edged cleaning tool
sponge · scrubbing · sluice · rinse · bristle · soap · lye · bilgewater
Ship's manual laborer
- sailorSeafaring crew member
- tarFile bundling utility
- seamanOne who works ships
- boatswainShip's deck petty officer
crewman · shipmate · sea dog · old salt · mariner · seafarer · rating
Lowly and unskilled
- drudgeryHard, boring work
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
- lowlyModest in status
- grunt workTedious, unskilled labor
scrubbing · endless · backbreaking · thankless · dirty work · bottom rung · unskilled · manual
mop
Floor-washing implement
squeegee · sponge · scrubbing · sluice · rinse · bristle · soap · lye · bilgewater · shipshape
deckhand
Ship's manual laborer
boatswain · crewman · shipmate · sea dog · old salt · mariner · seafarer · rating
menial
Lowly and unskilled
grunt work · scrubbing · endless · backbreaking · thankless · dirty work · bottom rung · unskilled · manual
planks
Flat construction lumber pieces
- forecastleForward upper deck section
- quarterdeckShip's elevated aft platform
- poopdeckRaised stern deck
gangway · gunwale · bow · stern · bulkhead · kneeling · splinters · saltwater · teak
- artillery crewgunner, loader, cannoneer, artilleryman, gun crew
swabbercaptain
One who commands
ship's captain · admiral · commodore · commanding officer · skipper
swabberexecutive
Senior organizational leader
foreman · supervisor · manager · master craftsman · boss
- deck swabbingCleaning a vessel's floor