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Glite Dictionary
🍽️ To clean dishes 🏖️ To come ashore 🧼 To clean yourself 😩 To be exhausted 🏛️ End of session
wash up

wash up

1 9.3
A short time at the end of Parliament when bills are rushed through
  • noun
  • /wɒʃ ʌp/
  • Jargon
translation icon : negociación de última hora

Examples

  • A washed-up old man with no friends... no distribution deal, wife on the rocks... people laughin' at him, feelin' sorry for himself.

    The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

  • During the wash up at the end of the session, several last-minute amendments were proposed.

  • The political party focused on the crucial wash up of pending legislation before the recess.

  • After the debate, the representatives engaged in a quick wash up of unresolved issues to finalize their agenda.

Synonyms

mop up
vswash up
3.7

A final action to complete small remaining tasks

is a short political period for hurried completion of remaining bills

Surface Forms

wash up singular
wash ups plural

Morphology

wash + up

The political noun 'wash up' is a metaphorical extension of the literal components: 'up' signals completion and 'wash' suggests clearing away, so there is a partial compositional clue (clearing/finishing work). However, the specific meaning—an end-of-session period for hurried parliamentary deals—is specialized British political jargon and not directly predictable from the constituents by a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The noun wash up comes from the idea of 'cleaning up' at the end of the day: politicians tidy remaining business in a short last session, so it means the short final period to 'finish bills' before a break.