to brush
Preserved but no longer current.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Examples
Ken wishes to brush up his English.Ken mong muốn trau dồi vốn tiếng Anh của bản thân.
I make it a rule to brush my teeth after meals.Tôi đặt ra quy tắc là mình phải đánh răng sau bữa ăn.
Tatoeba sentence #62515 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to brush” mean?
To run away. Let us buy a brush and lope; let us go away or off. To have a brush with a woman; to lie with her. To have a brush with a man; to fight with him. The cove cracked the peter and bought a brush; the fellow broke open the trunk, and then ran away.
Is “to brush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.