Washing \Wash"ing\, n.
1. The act of one who washes; the act of cleansing with
water; ablution.
2. The clothes washed, esp. at one time; a wash.
Washing bear (Zo["o]l.), the raccoon.
Washing bottle (Chem.), a bottle fitted with glass tubes
passing through the cork, so that on blowing into one of
the tubes a stream of water issuing from the other may be
directed upon anything to be washed or rinsed, as a
precipitate upon a filter, etc.
Washing fluid, a liquid used as a cleanser, and consisting
usually of alkaline salts resembling soaps in their
action.
Washing machine, a machine for washing; specifically, a
machine for washing clothes.
Washing soda. (Chem.) See Sodium carbonate, under
Sodium.
Washing stuff, any earthy deposit containing gold enough to
pay for washing it; -- so called among gold miners.
From the Online Dictionary of Computing
Washing machine : An old-style 14-inch hard disk in a floor-standing
cabinet. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the
"top-loading" access to the media packs - and, of course, they
were always set on "spin cycle". The thick channel cables
connecting these were called "{bit hoses". The
washing-machine idiom transcends language barriers; it is even
used in Russian hacker jargon.
See also walking drives.
(1995-02-15)
From Jargon File :
Washing machine : n. 1. Old-style 14-inch hard disks in floor-standing
cabinets. So called because of the size of the cabinet and the
`top-loading' access to the media packs -- and, of course, they were
always set on `spin cycle'. The washing-machine idiom transcends
language barriers; it is even used in Russian hacker jargon. See also
walking drives. The thick channel cables connecting these were called
`bit hoses' (see hose, sense 3). 2. [CMU] A machine used exclusively
for washing software. CMU has clusters of these.
