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Glite Dictionary
washer-upper

washer-upper

7.0
A person who washes dishes after a meal
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔːʃərˌʌpər/
  • UK
translation icon : lavaplatos
  • After the big family dinner, I ended up as the washer-upper while everyone else relaxed.

Examples

  • At the restaurant, he worked evenings as a washer-upper in the busy kitchen.

  • No one volunteered to be the washer-upper after our party, so the dishes piled up.

  • The new washer-upper started yesterday.

  • I need to find a washer-upper for the restaurant.

  • At the restaurant, he worked evenings as a washer-upper in the busy kitchen.

  • After the big family dinner, I ended up as the washer-upper while everyone else relaxed.

  • No one volunteered to be the washer-upper after our party, so the dishes piled up.

Synonyms

dishwasher
vswasher-upper
26 1.1

A person who washes plates and pans in a restaurant or kitchen

is the general term that includes household chores not only paid jobs
dish bitch
vswasher-upper
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who always washes the dishes at parties or family meals as a joke

is the neutral standard word used without joking or self deprecation

How Senior

dishwasher
26 1.1
washer-upper
  • UK
7.0

Surface Forms

washer-upper singular
washer-uppers plural

Morphology

washer-upper = wash up (transparent) = wash + up + er

Formed from the phrasal verb 'wash up' plus the agentive suffix '-er', directly meaning 'one who washes the dishes'.

Etymology

Washer-upper is a simple two-part word made from wash and up, and 'wash up' means 'to wash the dishes'. So a washer-upper is just the person who washes the dishes, often as a job in a kitchen.