swabbers
Ship floor scrubbers
Swabbers are people who swab—who clean or mop surfaces, especially on ships.
The term evokes naval life, where sailors swabbed decks with mops soaked in seawater: The swabbers were up before dawn scrubbing the quarterdeck.
The word sounds old-fashioned and slightly comic today, more likely to appear in pirate fiction than modern usage.
Ship's manual laborers
- mopsFloor-washing implements
- scrubbingCleaning by rubbing hard
- deckShip's flat surface
- shipboardOn a vessel
crew · mariners · seafarers · nautical · maritime · bosun · forecastle · galley
Floor-washing implements
- scrubbersEquipment removing pollutants
- janitorsBuilding maintenance workers
- custodiansThose entrusted with care
- bucketsOpen-top carrying vessels
brooms · sponges · brushes · detergents · disinfectants · wipes · gloves · housekeeping
Representative items for examination
- cottonPlant fiber for textiles
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- collectionGathered set of items
- samplingExtracting subset for study
testing · lab · diagnostic · nasal · throat · culture · applicators · antiseptic
deckhands
Ship's manual laborers
shipboard · crew · mariners · seafarers · nautical · maritime · bosun · forecastle · galley · buckets
mops
Floor-washing implements
- scrubbersEquipment removing pollutants
- janitorsBuilding maintenance workers
- custodiansThose entrusted with care
buckets · brooms · sponges · brushes · detergents · disinfectants · wipes · gloves · housekeeping · sanitation
specimens
Representative items for examination
- cottonPlant fiber for textiles
- sterileFree from microorganisms
- collectionGathered set of items
sampling · testing · lab · diagnostic · nasal · throat · culture · applicators · antiseptic · disinfectant
swabbersofficers
Those holding authority
captains · admirals · ship's captain · naval officers · fleet admiral
swabbersnavigators
Those who direct travel
helmsmen · pilots · surgeons · sailmakers · carpenters
swabberssupervisors
Those who oversee workers
overseers · managers · foremen · taskmasters · directors