dish-cloth
1. A cloth used in the kitchen or scullery for washing dishes, etc.
| 1828 in Webster. 1869 Lonsdale Gloss. 25/1 Dish-clout, a dish-cloth. 1887 R. Buchanan Heir of Linne i, A sort of banner, composed of an old towel or dish-cloth. |
2. dishcloth gourd, the gourd or the plant of any of the species of Luffa, esp. L. cylindrica, of which the spongy inner portion of the fruit may be used as a cloth.
| 1900 L. H. Bailey Cycl. Amer. Hort. II. 948/2 Luffa... Dishcloth Gourd. Vegetable Sponge... L. cylindrica... The commonest Dishcloth Gourd. 1963 J. Organ Gourds vii. 93 British seedsmen on the whole restrict themselves to L. cylindrica which is usually listed as Luffa, Dishcloth gourd, or Vegetable Sponge. |