steel wool
/'sti:l'wu:l/
Definition
Noun: A mass of fine, flexible, and abrasive steel fibers, typically woven or matted together, used for cleaning, smoothing, or polishing surfaces by scrubbing.
Usage
Steel wool is used as a tool for tasks requiring abrasion, such as removing paint or rust, cleaning heavily soiled cookware, or preparing surfaces for finishing. It is available in various grades, from coarse to very fine, for different levels of abrasiveness.
Examples
- Scouring the burnt food off the pan required a pad of steel wool.
- Before repainting the old door, he used steel wool to remove the flaking paint.
- For a smooth finish on the wood, sand it first and then polish it with fine steel wool.
Advanced Usage
- "to steel-wool" (verb, rare/informal): To clean or scour with steel wool.
- He had to steel-wool the grill grates to get them clean.
Variants and Related Words
- Wire wool: A synonym, more common in British English.
- Scouring pad: A general term that can include pads made with steel wool or other abrasive materials.
Synonyms
- Abrasive pad
- Scouring pad
- Wire wool
Related Phrases
- Grade 0 steel wool: Refers to the finest, least abrasive grade, often used for final polishing.
- Grade 4 steel wool: Refers to a coarse grade used for heavy-duty paint or rust removal.
Noun
-
a mass of woven steel fibers used as an abrasive
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