emery-paper

A carpenter smooths the wood with a sheet of emery-paper.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Abrasive paper: "emery-paper" is a type of paper coated with emery, a hard granular material, used for smoothing, polishing, or cleaning surfaces.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He used emery-paper to sand the rough edges of the wooden table. (Abrasive paper applied to smooth the wood.)
  • The mechanic rubbed the metal part with emery-paper to remove rust. (Abrasive paper used for cleaning or polishing metal.)

Advanced Usage

• "to work with emery-paper": to use the abrasive paper for a specific finishing task.
  • The craftsman worked with emery-paper to achieve a glossy finish on the sculpture. (Used for detailed polishing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Emery (n): a hard mineral powder used as an abrasive.
  • The emery in the paper is very fine. (The abrasive material itself.)
• Sandpaper (n): a similar abrasive paper, often made with sand or other materials; sometimes used interchangeably with "emery-paper."
  • He preferred sandpaper for rougher jobs. (A related abrasive paper.)

Synonyms

• Abrasive paper: a general term for paper coated with abrasive material.
• Glasspaper: a type of abrasive paper using crushed glass.

Phrasal Verbs

• Sand down: to smooth a surface using abrasive paper.
  • He sanded down the door with emery-paper before painting. (Smoothed with abrasive paper.)

Related Idioms

• To rub someone the wrong way: (not directly related to "emery-paper") to annoy or irritate someone, akin to the friction of abrasive paper.
  • His constant complaints rubbed me the wrong way. (Irritated me.)

Note: "Emery-paper" is a specific type of abrasive paper, distinct from general "sandpaper" due to its use of emery as the abrasive agent.