ashcan

Thân thiện

A worker empties the ashcan into the back of a garbage truck.

Definition

Noun: A container, typically made of metal, used for holding household refuse or rubbish until it is collected for disposal.

Usage

The word "ashcan" specifically refers to a receptacle for waste. It is a compound noun formed from "ash" and "can." Its use is primarily literal and descriptive.

Examples: * Please take the full bag out to the ashcan. * The old ashcan behind the restaurant was rusted and overflowing. * He heard a loud clang when the lid fell off the ashcan.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Artistic Context: In early 20th-century American art, the "Ashcan School" was a realist artistic movement that focused on depicting everyday, often gritty, urban life. The name derives from the ordinary, sometimes unglamorous subjects they painted.
  • Example: "The painters of the Ashcan School sought to capture the raw reality of New York City."

Variants and Related Words

• Dustbin (noun, chiefly British): A synonym for a container for household rubbish.
• Garbage can (noun, North American): The more common modern term for an outdoor rubbish container.
• Trash can (noun, North American): A common synonym for "garbage can."
• Wastebasket (noun): A small container for rubbish, typically used indoors.
• Rubbish bin (noun, chiefly British): A general term for a container for refuse.

Synonyms

• Garbage can
• Trash can
• Dustbin (UK)
• Rubbish bin (UK)
• Waste bin

Antonyms

• There are no direct antonyms, but conceptually opposite items could be:
  • Recycling bin
  • Compost bin

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Ashcan of history: A metaphorical phrase (less common than "dustbin of history") meaning to be discarded as worthless or obsolete.
  • Example: "Many failed political ideas belong in the ashcan of history."

Học thuật

Noun

1. a bin that holds rubbish until it is collected