roofing paper
1
4.8
- noun
- Specialized
:
papel de techado
- I didn't really think much about the house, but sometimes, when we threw our ice skates and torches into the trunk of his cab before driving back to the city, I saw roofing paper, wallpaper, and paint.
Examples
-
Before installing the tiles, make sure to cover the wooden surface with roofing paper for added protection.
-
And he put heavy roofing paper underneath and all around.
Fiction book (1994) -
Junior stacks the roofing paper in the corner of the porch and stamps the mud off his shoes.
Fiction book (1990) -
They stopped at the do-it-yourself store on the highway, where even the parking lot was stacked high with roofing paper and lumber.
Fiction book (1991) -
The contractor laid heavy roofing paper to ensure the house would be waterproof.
-
To protect against leaks, the builder recommended using high-quality roofing paper under the shingles.
Synonyms
1
5.3
A heavy paper soaked in tar that you put under a roof to keep out rain
1
3.1
A thing used to cover and protect the top of a building like tiles or metal sheets
How Waterproof
- Specialized
1
4.8
- Specialized
1
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
roofing + paper
The noun is a straightforward compound: 'roofing' (relating to covering/waterproofing roofs) modifies 'paper', so the meaning is a type of paper used for roofing and waterproofing. This compositional modifier+noun pattern is common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The name roofing paper comes from the simple image of laying a sheet of heavy paper on a roof, often soaked with tar like a blanket to keep rain out. So, roofing paper today means a heavy, tar-soaked paper used to make a roof 'waterproof'.