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Glite Dictionary
to shake out the rug

to shake out the rug

1 2.0
To clean a rug by lifting it and beating dust and crumbs out
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : sacudir la alfombra
  • I need to shake out the rug before the guests arrive.

Examples

  • Before guests arrived, she decided to shake out the rug on the porch.

  • They shook out the rug outside to get rid of all the dust and crumbs.

  • Could you please shake out the rug before putting it back in the living room?

  • She shook out the rug on the porch.

  • After a long winter, it's time to shake out the rug to get rid of all the dust.

  • She decided to shake out the rug before the guests arrived, ensuring it was clean.

  • Every spring, we shake out the rug on the porch to remove the accumulated dirt.

Synonyms

to clean up
vsto shake out the rug
433 1.0

To make a room or area free of dirt and tidy by removing mess

is a specific manual action aimed just at removing dust from coverings
to sweep
vsto shake out the rug
227 1.0

To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt with a broom

targets raised textiles with forceful lifting and jolting rather than sweeping motion
to dust
vsto shake out the rug
66 1.0

To remove small dry particles from a surface by wiping or brushing

focuses on vigorous lifting motions to eject particles from thick material
to vacuum
vsto shake out the rug
48 1.7

Clean a floor or carpet with a machine that sucks up dirt

depends on physical lifting and jolting instead of machine suction to loosen dirt
to shake out
vsto shake out the rug
10 2.9

Remove dust and crumbs by shaking something

is the same action applied mainly to floor coverings to clear debris
to hoover up
vsto shake out the rug
  • UK
1 4.3

To clean a carpet or floor using a vacuum cleaner

is a manual, nonpowered method using sudden movement to remove dirt
to beat the dust out
vsto shake out the rug
4.4

To remove dust from rugs by hitting or shaking them

uses lifting and jolting movements rather than repeated striking to free dust
to brush down
vsto shake out the rug
2.7

To clean dust and dirt from something using quick movements

relies on lifting and jolting rather than brushing to dislodge dirt
to vacuum-clean
vsto shake out the rug
2.1

To clean a carpet or floor with a vacuum cleaner

uses hands and strong movement instead of a machine to free particles

Antonyms

to dirty
14 1.0

To make something unclean or covered with dirt

How Clean

to vacuum
48 1.7
to shake out the rug
1 2.0

Surface Forms

shake out the rug infinitive
shaking out the rug present participle
shakes out the rug third person singular
shook out the rug past
shaken out the rug past participle

Morphology

shake + out + the + rug

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'shake' (to move/vibrate) + 'out' (away/from the interior) + 'rug' (a floor covering), describing the literal action of lifting and shaking to remove dust. This is a common, literal verb+particle+object construction found across languages and everyday contexts, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shake out the rug comes from a simple household scene: you lift a rug and shake it so dust and crumbs fall out. So, shake out the rug literally means 'to clean' a rug by making the dirt fall out.