bath brick
Preserved but no longer current.
Alluvial matter compressed to the form of a brick, and used for cleaning knives, polishing metals, etc. It is made at Bridgwater, the material being dredged from the river Parrett, which runs through Bridg- water.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bath brick” mean?
Alluvial matter compressed to the form of a brick, and used for cleaning knives, polishing metals, etc. It is made at Bridgwater, the material being dredged from the river Parrett, which runs through Bridg- water.
Is “bath brick” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.