washtubs
Old-fashioned cleaning vessels
Washtubs are large tubs used for washing clothes by hand, typically made of galvanized metal or wood.
Before washing machines, laundry was scrubbed on a washboard inside a washtub.
The word evokes old-fashioned domestic labor: She spent Monday mornings bent over the washtub.
Washtubs also appear in folk music, turned upside down as improvised bass instruments.
Cleaning by rubbing hard
- washboardRidged laundry surface
- wringerWater-extracting roller device
- clotheslineCord for air-drying laundry
- soakSaturate with liquid
agitate · rinse · suds · lather · washday · linens · garments · delicates
Stimulated into sudden activity
- zincElement thirty
- tinElement fifty, Sn
- basinsConcave water containers
- bucketsOpen-top carrying vessels
pails · wooden · metal · handles · rivets · corrugated · oval · round
Old valued collectible
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- retroEvoking recent past
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- rusticRural and unrefined
farmhouse · pioneer · homestead · old-fashioned · bygone · Americana · rural · collectible
Folk ensemble using makeshift instruments
- skiffleFolk-jazz on improvised instruments
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- percussionSound through impact
- improvisedCreated without prior planning
folk · bluegrass · Appalachian · hillbilly · homemade · rhythm · plucking · thumping
scrubbing
Cleaning by rubbing hard
- washboardRidged laundry surface
- wringerWater-extracting roller device
- clotheslineCord for air-drying laundry
soak · agitate · rinse · suds · lather · washday · linens · garments · delicates · bluing
galvanized
Stimulated into sudden activity
buckets · pails · wooden · metal · handles · rivets · corrugated · oval · round · leakproof
antique
Old valued collectible
rustic · farmhouse · pioneer · homestead · old-fashioned · bygone · Americana · rural · collectible · patina
jug band
Folk ensemble using makeshift instruments
- skiffleFolk-jazz on improvised instruments
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- percussionSound through impact
improvised · folk · bluegrass · Appalachian · hillbilly · homemade · rhythm · plucking · thumping · string