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Glite Dictionary
sheep dip

sheep dip

1 8.4
A liquid that kills parasites on sheep like lice and ticks
  • noun
  • /ʃip dɪp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : baño de ovejas
  • "She also uses creosote sheep dip on occasion, one time being when I stabbed my foot with a pitchfork while Cliff and I were cleaning the barn."

Examples

  • That cheap, rotten Kansas sheep-dip.

    The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)

  • They used it for sheep-dip, right?

    One, Two, Three (1961)

  • Well, I'll be dumped in sheep dip.

    Ed (1996)

  • What you doin' with that piece of sheep dip?

    Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)

  • Don't forget to put the lid on the sheep dip!

    Hello, Dolly! (1969)

  • That apparently has a longer career path than living in a cave and feasting on sheep dip.

    Blog text (33)

  • Sheep dip is essential for keeping livestock healthy by eliminating ticks and lice when animals are immersed in sheep dip.

  • Farmers often immerse their sheep in a sheep dip to protect them from parasites like lice and ticks.

  • The old sheep dip was effective in controlling the spread of lice and other pests in the flock.

Synonyms

coumaphos
vssheep dip
  • Specialized
9.9

A chemical used on animals to kill parasites like ticks and mites

is a liquid mixture used to immerse animals to remove parasites
acaricide
vssheep dip
  • Specialized
9.9

A chemical used to kill mites and ticks

is a formulated liquid for immersing animals rather than a general chemical class

Surface Forms

sheep dip singular
sheep dips plural

Morphology

sheep + dip

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'sheep' with 'dip' (to put into a liquid): it denotes the liquid used to dip sheep. This is a straightforward, literal compound/nominalization (a dip for sheep) that follows common English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely understand it.

Etymology

Sheep dip comes from a farming practice of putting sheep into a tub of insect-killing liquid so farmers could dip them to remove lice and ticks. So, because the animals were literally put in a 'bath' of chemical, sheep dip now means the pesticide 'bath' used to clean the animals.