clothesline

Thân thiện

She hangs wet shirts on the clothesline in the sunny backyard.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cord, rope, or wire on which washed clothes are hung to dry: A "clothesline" is a simple outdoor or indoor drying apparatus, typically stretched between two points.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She hung the wet shirts on the clothesline. (She used the cord to dry the shirts.)
  • The old wooden posts still hold up the backyard clothesline. (The posts support the drying cord.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be left hanging on the clothesline": An informal expression meaning to be left in a state of suspense or uncertainty, derived from the image of clothes left out.
  • After the interview, I was just left hanging on the clothesline for weeks with no answer. (I was left in a state of uncertainty.)

Variants and Related Words

• Clothesline verb (informal/sports): To knock someone down, usually by catching them at chest or neck level, akin to catching them on a taut line. This is a distinct, informal usage.
  • The defender clotheslined the receiver, resulting in a penalty. (The defender knocked the receiver down with a horizontal arm.)

Synonyms

• Drying line: A more general term.
• Washing line: A common synonym, especially in British English.

Related Phrases

• "Air-dry on a clothesline": To dry laundry using this method.
  • To save energy, we air-dry all our laundry on a clothesline. (We dry clothes using the cord and air, not a machine.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. a cord on which clothes are hung to dry