whitewashn.
/ˈwʌɪtwɒʃ/, U.S. /ˈ(h)waɪtˌwɔʃ/, /ˈ(h)waɪtˌwɑʃ/ 1. A preparation of a powdered white mineral substance in water, used for whitening walls and ceilings and as a protective coating for the bark of trees, typically containing slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or powdered chalk (or both), often with size or other ingredients.Lime gradually cures in air to produce a hard layer of calcite. Cf. lime-wash n. and vb. (a) at lime n.1 Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [adjective] > types of paint
whitewash?1584
lean1934
Day-Glo1944
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitener > [noun] > whitewash
white limec1300
whitewash?1584
lime?1593
lime-wash1823
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [noun] > paint > types of
whitewash?1584
rough stuff1841
enamel paint1865
tempera1883
surfacer1885
Bitumastic1889
plastic paint1925
spray-paint1928
emulsion paint1939
Snowcem1939
Day-Glo1944
Artex1952
latex1954
matt1977
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitening > [adjective] > whitened with specific substance > relating to whiting
whitewash?1584
?1584 Def. Mynisters Kent in A. Peel Seconde Parte Reg. (1915) I. 239 To deface a monument of superstition, to put away a font case, coloured..and pictured..with the 7 popish sacraments,..these things being slubbered over with a white wash that in an houre may be undone.
1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 35 But in aqua fortis, the Sommerton crust was wholly dissolved into a white substance, not unlike the white wash used by Plaisterers.
1697 J. Vanbrugh Relapse v. 97 A little Glasing, Painting, Whitewash and Playster, will make it [sc. the house] last thy time.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 161. ⁋4 The Plaisterer having..obliterated, by his White-wash, all the smoky Memorials which former Tenants had left upon the Cieling.
1776 G. Semple Treat. Building in Water 81 A Peck of Roach~lime was slacked into White-wash.
1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford xv A wholesome smell of plaster and whitewash pervaded the apartment.
1883 Cent. Mag. Mar. 670/1 Repeated fires have destroyed many of the most valuable frescoes, and many others have been ruthlessly covered up by whitewash.
1918 Pop. Sci. Monthly Jan. 153/1 The addition of a solution of alum to whitewash is recommended as a means to prevent the rubbing off of the whitewash.
1972 Y. Lovelock Veg. Bk. ii. 269 Their taste and smell is..disagreeable, but this is lost after they have been soaked in whitewash (i.e. milk of lime).
2004 R. S. Sennott Encycl. 20th Cent. Archit. II. 576 The lime whitewash has to be reapplied every two to three years.
2. A cosmetic preparation used to make the skin look lighter. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > paints or colours
tincturec1400
popping?c1450
ceruse1519
fard1540
parget1593
fucus1600
paint1600
blanch1601
complexion1601
priming colour1616
complexion-maker1619
whitewash1649
blanc1764
blusher1965
1649 Duke of Newcastle Varietie ii. i. 13 in Country Captaine Your red leather is for Countrey Wenches, your white wash, or Spanish Fucus is the best.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Sussex 98 Talk (in Latine Talchum)..maketh a curious White wash.
1689 Several Disc. Vanities Modish Women 175 Her Bottles of White-washes, or Cosmeticks.
1713 J. Addison in Guardian 24 July 1/1 I have heard a whole Sermon against a White-wash.
a1771 T. Gray Jemmy Twitcher in Gentleman's Mag. (1782) 39 When sly Jemmy Twitcher had smugg'd up his face, With a lick of court white-wash,..A wooing he went.
1890 Frank Leslie's Pop. Monthly Dec. 763/1 Face Bleach..does not show as a whitewash, nor give you a whitewashed look.
2003 D. Davis Strapless 52 Many how-to writers..offered recipes for ‘white-washes’ that would give skin a look of milky perfection.
3.
a. figurative and in figurative contexts. Something used to conceal faults or errors, or to provide an appearance of honesty, respectability, rectitude, etc. Cf. whitewash v. 3a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [noun]
hue971
glozea1300
showingc1300
coloura1325
illusionc1340
frontc1374
simulationc1380
visage1390
cheera1393
sign?a1425
countenance?c1425
study?c1430
cloak1526
false colour1531
visure1531
face1542
masquery?1544
show1547
gloss1548
glass1552
affectation1561
colourableness1571
fashion1571
personage?1571
ostentation1607
disguise1632
lustrementa1641
grimace1655
varnish1662
masquerade1674
guisea1677
whitewash1730
varnish1743
maya1789
vraisemblance1802
Japan1856
veneering1865
veneer1868
affectedness1873
candy coating1885
simulance1885
window dressing1903
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > immunity or exemption from liability > excuse > [noun] > offering an excuse > extenuation > that which
whitewash1730
1730 Visct. Bolingbroke Occas. Writer 6 They write with a Trowel; and..lay on their White-Wash so very thick, that not the least Spot or Flaw is to be found in your Character.
1758 M.-A. Pillement Hist. Marchioness de Pompadour I. 105 Instead of one bishop of that church she might now have had twenty to give her the white-wash of absolution.
1865 W. G. Palgrave Narr. Journey through Arabia II. 21 Such liberal semblance is merely a surface whitewash.
1883 Fortn. Rev. Feb. 284 Washed white with the whitewash of diplomacy.
1952 J. Lait & L. Mortimer U.S.A. Confidential p. ix From them we would get nothing but alibis and whitewash and invitations to see the nice new waterworks.
2001 Sun 27 Jan. 8/5 His inquiry must not be an opportunity for Labour to slap whitewash all over itself.
b. An act or instance of clearing a person of liability for debts, esp. by judicial declaration of bankruptcy.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > winning, losing, or scoring > [noun] > winning or win
winningc1330
lurchingc1350
lurch1598
whitewash1834
win1862
whitewash1866
romp1919
upset1921
sweep1960
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > [noun] > bankruptcy > appointee administering property of bankrupt > clearing of debt liability
whitewashing1762
whitewash1834
1834 Fraser's Mag. May 576/1 When an accumulation of debts presses them hard, and they can no longer resist the law, they take the benefit of a whitewash, and at it again.
1851 J. Henderson Excurs. New S. Wales I. 64 When once in a twelvemonth your agent goes smash, And bolts to New Zealand, or gets a whitewash.
1909 Domest. Engin. 20 Mar. 332/2 The whitewash of a bankruptcy court, would permit him to start over again.
c. An act or instance of whitewashing (whitewashing n. 2b); esp. a report or investigation that conceals or ignores unpleasant, incriminating, or inconvenient facts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [noun] > creating fair appearance
colouring?1435
cloaking1513
disguising1587
varnishment1593
fucation1612
artinga1620
veneering1808
duffing1826
whitewash1882
window dressing1903
1882 Amer. Engineer 20 Oct. 192/1 The investigation has been limited to the period since 1874. Since most of the failure of duty..is said to have occurred before 1874, it seems very like a determined attempt to procure a whitewash.
1920 Westm. Gaz. 22 May 2/2 The Report is a fairly comprehensive whitewash of everybody concerned.
1972 Ski Oct. 148/2 The in-house ecological study done by the Forest Service to justify clearcutting..was a whitewash.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Nov. 11/1 The book is no whitewash: all the atrocities are there.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > fortified wine, Madeira wine, and sack > [noun] > sherry > glass of sherry
whitewash1853
sherry1924
1853 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 22 Oct. 258/2 Shall I pull my second last bottle of Thirty-four Claret for you? Or will you take a white wash of the Ambassador?
1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) 270 Whitewash, a glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret.
1879 A. Trollope John Caldigate III. x. 142 ‘Take another glass of port, old boy.’ Bagwax did take another glass, finishing the bottle... ‘Take a drop of whitewash to wind up, and then we'll join the ladies.’
5. colloquial (originally Baseball). A victory in a sports match or series in which the losing side or opponent fails to score. Also occasionally: a victory by a very large margin.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > winning, losing, or scoring > [noun] > winning or win
winningc1330
lurchingc1350
lurch1598
whitewash1834
win1862
whitewash1866
romp1919
upset1921
sweep1960
1866 North-West (Freeport, Illinois) 12 July 2/5 The fourth inning again witnessed a ‘whitewash’ for the Cream City, the Julian scoring one.
1874 State Jrnl. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 26 June 4/1 The second match game of croquet took place yesterday morning, and resulted in a second whitewash for the latter named gentleman.
1962 Times 26 May 3/5 England nearly scored a whitewash over France..only the victory of G. Mourgue d'Algue standing between them and a 12–0 lead on the first day.
1978 Rugby World Apr. 4/1 Scotland must be bitterly disappointed that they have suffered their first whitewash for ten years.
2014 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 18 Jan. (Sport section) 13 England now face a tough last three matches of this one-day series and it could end up as another 5–0 series whitewash.
6. Any of several medicinal lotions used in the treatment of skin diseases, typically consisting of an aqueous solution of various compounds of zinc, sulphur, and (less commonly) lead. Now rare or disused.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines of specific form > lotion or bath > [noun] > specific
lyea700
eye-water?1593
mouth-water1598
arquebusade1739
eye lotion1797
black wash1805
mouthwash1806
bloodbath1834
starch bath1836
sulphur bath1843
whitewash1897
wax bath1916
1897 T. M. Griffiths Non-secret Formulas 117/1 White Wash... Potassii sulphuret., Zinci sulphat..aa. 1 dram. Aquae..4 ounces. Dissolve each in two ounces water and mix.
1898 Amer. Druggist & Pharmaceut. Rec. 32 190/1 Lotio Alba. White Wash.
1916 Pharmaceut. Era 49 395/2 There is no official preparation under the title ‘lotio alba’, but in some of the hospitals in New York the following preparation is dispensed under the name given (lotio alba), also ‘white wash’ or ‘white lotion’.
Compounds
C1. General attributive and objective.
ΚΠ
1757 G. Washington Let. 26 May in Papers (1984) IV. 165 Necessaries wanted for the public works..1 dozen white-wash-brushes.
1824 Lancet 25 Sept. 408/1 You should..put over the wound..a cold white-wash poultice.
1887 J. J. Hissey Holiday on Road 26 Art-ignoring, whitewash-loving churchwardens.
1988 Squash Player Internat. May 13/2 Pakistan, with a whitewash victory over Scotland, and England with a similar scoreline against Finland, unavoidably met in the semi-finals.
1989 S. Bellow Bellarosa Connection 25 To see him as he was, you have to place him against the whitewash glare of Broadway in the wee hours.
1990 Gifts Internat. Nov. 2/2 (advt.) Wooden animals, birds and wall plaques painted in pastel whitewash tones with a limed finish.
2013 Star (S. Africa) (Nexis) 28 May 13 The ANC has done it again by releasing a whitewash report regarding the Gupta scandal.
C2.
whitewash gum n. Australian any of various gum trees with white bark, esp. the ghost gum Corymbia papuana.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > Australasian trees > [noun] > eucalyptus trees
yellow box1662
gum tree1676
white gum tree1733
whip-stick1782
peppermint1790
red gum tree1790
red mahogany1798
white gum1798
box1801
blue gum1802
eucalyptus1809
box tree1819
black-butted gum1820
bloodwood1827
white ash1830
blackbutt1833
morrel1837
mountain ash1837
mallee scrub1845
apple gum1846
flooded gum1847
Moreton Bay ash1847
mallee1848
swamp gum1852
box-gum1855
manna gum1855
white top1856
river gum1860
grey box1861
woolly butt1862
marlock1863
fever tree1867
red ironbark1867
river white gum1867
karri1870
yellow jacket1876
eucalypt1877
yapunyah1878
coolibah1879
scribbly gum1883
forest mahogany1884
yellow jack1884
rose gum1885
Jimmy Low1887
nankeen gum1889
slaty gum1889
sugar-gum1889
apple box1890
Murray red gum1895
creek-gum1898
eucalyptian1901
forest red gum1904
river red gum1920
napunyah1921
whitewash gum1923
ghost gum1928
snow gum1928
Sydney blue gum1932
salmon gum1934
lapunyah1940
1923 Register (Adelaide) 20 Apr. 7/8 There were the snowy-white bark and limbs of the whitewash gum, and others with bark of a delicate salmon colour.
1944 World's News (Sydney) 22 July 19/3 The ghost gum (eucalyptus papuana), sometimes called the whitewash gum by inland dwellers, is perhaps the most beautiful of all Australian gumtrees.
1995 M. Jackson At Home in World 106 I sat in the stippled shade of a whitewash gum.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
whitewashv.
/ˈwʌɪtwɒʃ/, U.S. /ˈ(h)waɪtˌwɔʃ/, /ˈ(h)waɪtˌwɑʃ/ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitening > make white [verb (transitive)] > bleach
bleachc1200
blanch?a1400
white?a1425
whiten1548
whitewash1576
to whiten up1808
overbleach1857
1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner Newe Jewell of Health ii. f. 98v A fyne ypocrase bagge, made of pure Hollande, and whyte washed [L. bene mundo].
1604 F. T. Case is Altered sig. C3 The sheets white washed, and the pillowes sprinckled with rose water.
a1650 G. Boate Irelands Nat. Hist. (1652) xx. 154 The linnen which is dryed by a fire made of this last sort of Turf, getteth a foul colour, be it never so white washed.
2.
a. transitive. To cover or coat (a wall, building, etc.) with whitewash (whitewash n. 1). Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > decorating and painting > decorate [verb (transitive)] > paint > paint with whitewash
white-limec1300
whiten?a1425
whitewash1591
wash1604
1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Enxalvegar To white washe a house.
a1656 R. Vines Gods Drawing (1662) 332 When a man white-washes or paints an old house, it's a sign he means not to pull it down.
1678 J. Phillips tr. J.-B. Tavernier Indian Trav. i. xviii. 100 in tr. J.-B. Tavernier Six Voy. Little Heaps of Stones, which the Inhabitants of the next Villages are bound to white-wash from time to time.
1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. 382 She that white-washes her House, has a mind to lett it.
1780 W. Coxe Acct. Russ. Discov. 216 The houses are..plaistered and white-washed.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian vi, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 113 There were workmen..altering, repairing, scrubbing, painting, and white-washing.
1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine 104 To whitewash a church is, in our eyes, a profanity.
1925 L. E. H. Whitby Nurses' Handbk. Hygiene iv. 85 In good-class houses it is preferable to whitewash the ceiling and re-paper the room.
1992 J. McKenna Fallen 31 My father was busily whitewashing the wall.
b. transitive. To cover (the face, etc.) with make-up or a similar substance intended to make the skin look lighter. Cf. whitewash n. 2. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > beautify (the skin or complexion) [verb (transitive)] > paint or colour
painta1382
farcec1400
farda1450
parget1581
complexion1612
surfle1633
cerusea1640
petre1656
lacquer1688
whitewasha1704
enamel1804
peachify1853
to mug up1859
highlight1935
a1704 T. Brown Legacy for Ladies (1705) 161 Female-Hippocrites..will be observ'd..laying out such large Sums of Time in new White-washing their Faces, that they will begin their Work in their Beds betimes in the Morning, and will not have ended their Diabolical Task, till a little before Dinner-time.
1776 C. Anstey Election Ball 29 Ye must stucco, and whitewash your Faces.
1837 T. T. Stoddart Angling Reminisc. iv. 58 They [sc. modern men] white-wash their faces, deeming it sage-like to look pale and spectral.
1912 C. N. Williamson & A. M. Williamson Guests of Hercules xvii. 298 She whitewashed her face and had strange eyes.
1985 Times of India 18 June 8/2 ‘Why do you whitewash your face like that?’ he queried. ‘It's just talcum powder,’ I muttered abashedly.
c. transitive. Chiefly poetic and literary. To cover or coat (an object, surface, etc.) with a white substance, as though with whitewash; (also) to flood (something) with white light. Often in passive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitening > make white [verb (transitive)] > cover or coat with white
whiteOE
besnowa1000
whiten?a1425
oversnow1609
candya1612
whitewash1722
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitening > make white [verb (transitive)] > whiten with specific substance
limec1440
chalk1633
whitewash1722
lime-white1777
lime-wash1823
hearthstone1838
pipeclaya1839
white-stone1838
kalsomine1840
blanco1912
1722 S. Croxall tr. Æsop Fables cii. 175 A Jack-daw..white-wash'd his Feathers, and endeavouring to look as much like a Dove as he could, went and liv'd among them.
1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch xxii. 326 Sharp frosty nights that left all the window-soles whitewashed over with frost-rind in the mornings.
1895 Scribner's Mag. Dec. 744 Over my head an electric light suddenly flared out and whitewashed the pavement at my feet.
1928 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 3 Nov. 8/8 The hills around the lake were whitewashed with snow.
1967 Camera Mar. 18/2 The first frost whitewashes the tired grass.
2003 D. E. Stuart Guaymas Chrons.: La Mandadera (2006) iii. 42 Thousands of pelicans nested there, their guano whitewashing the surrounding rock.
3.
a. transitive. To conceal the faults or errors of; to free, or attempt to free, from blame; to provide with a semblance of honesty, respectability, rectitude, etc. Frequently with negative connotations.In quot. 1834: to accord (someone) the status of white (see white adj. 5a).
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > immunity or exemption from liability > excuse > excuse (a person or fault) [verb (transitive)] > extenuate
whiteOE
gloze1390
colourc1400
emplasterc1405
littlec1450
polish?c1450
daub1543
plaster1546
blanch1548
flatter1552
extenuate1570
alleviate1577
soothe1587
mincea1591
soothe1592
palliate1604
sweeten1635
rarefy1637
mitigate1651
glossa1656
whitewash1703
qualify1749
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > immunity or exemption from liability > justification > justify [verb (transitive)] > exculpate
cleansea1000
skere?c1225
unwreea1250
spurge1303
sunyiea1325
disblamec1374
quita1400
whitena1400
emplasterc1405
declare1460
clear1481
absolve1496
purgea1530
free1560
clenge1592
disculp1602
uncharge1604
exonerate1655
exculpate1656
wash1659
excriminate1661
to wipe the mouth of1687
disculpate1693
whitewash1703
rehabilitate1847
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > present speciously [verb (transitive)] > improve appearance
paintc1390
set1540
daub1543
plaster1546
varnish1571
to gild over1574
adorn1589
parget1592
glaze1605
apparel1615
pranka1616
lustre1627
candidate1628
varnish1641
lacquer1688
whitewash1703
tinsel1748
duff1750
fineer1765
veneer1847
superficialize1851
gloss1879
window dress1913
beglamour1926
sportswash2012
1703 W. Freke Lingua Tersancta xvi. 106 White-washing it, attempts of Gain by Deceit.
1740 Laureat ii. 20 It is too much thus to flatly white-wash thy self.
1763 St. James's Chron. 19 Feb. 4/1 Such as are blackened in the North Briton are..whitewashed in the Auditor.
1809 F. J. Jackson Let. Mar. in Lady Jackson Bath Archives (1873) I. 36 To be entirely exonerated from all blame, or—in the familiar language of the day—to be whitewashed.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. xii. 196 A quadroon and white make the mustee or one eighth black, and the mustee and white the mustafina, or one-sixteenth black. After that, they are white-washed, and considered as Europeans.
a1845 R. H. Barham House-warming!! in Ingoldsby Legends (1847) 3rd Ser. 299 Snore Hill (which we have since whitewashed to Snow).
1916 M. Sinclair Belfry vi. 126 Even while I whitewashed him..I could not extend a Christian forgiveness and forbearance to Jevons.
1985 G. Lyall Crocus List xxxvi. 244 There isn't a committee in Whitehall that can whitewash this lot away.
2002 S. Kelley Racializing Jesus (2005) iv. 93 Wolin implies that Derrida is guilty of whitewashing the crimes of Nazism.
b. transitive. To clear (a person) from liability for his or her debts, esp. by judicial declaration of bankruptcy; to write off (a debt, etc.). Also intransitive: to go through the bankruptcy court. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > [verb (transitive)] > clear debt liability
whitewash1761
1761 Whitehall Evening-post 31 Oct.–3 Nov. There are three Men who infest the Deptford Road, two of which are known to have been lately whitewashed; they all live in a genteel Manner..though they appear to have no visible Way of getting their Livelihood.
1776 S. Foote Bankrupt ii. 37 Pass'd a few necessary notes to get him number and value, white-wash'd him, and sent him home.
1819 Sporting Mag. New Ser. 4 30 Two baronets' sons pleading to be white-washed, but remanded for fraud towards their creditors.
1832 P. Egan Bk. Sports 99/2 The unthinking dashing sparks whitewash their long accounts for twist, tape, and buckram.
1843 W. M. Thackeray Ravenswing i, in Fraser's Mag. Apr. 470/2 If I'm dunned, I whitewash.
1912 Jrnl. Inst. Actuaries 46 256 It would be an improvement in the law to whitewash a man and give him power to resume his rights of citizenship and to trade.
1924 Manch. Guardian 30 Aug. 12/5 The proposed loan was iniquitous. It was akin to whitewashing a fraudulent bankrupt.
4. transitive. colloquial (originally Baseball). In a game or contest: to beat (an opponent) in such a way that he or she fails to score. Also occasionally: to beat by a very large margin.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > winning, losing, or scoring > win, lose, or score [verb (transitive)] > win > defeat
overplayc1460
smother1676
lurch1678
outplay1702
thrash1789
defeat1830
spreadeagle1832
thresh1852
whitewash1867
blank1870
annihilate1886
nip1893
slam1907
plaster1919
skittle1919
rip1927
maul1928
demolish1938
massacre1940
trounce1942
hammer1948
murder1952
to shut out1952
zilch1957
zip1964
trip1974
1867 Chicago Republican 6 July 2/6 The Unions were whitewashed 3 times, and the Forest Citys 5 times.
1884 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 2 Oct. 4 Buffalo Whitewashes Providence, and Philadelphia Detroit.
1972 Korea Times 19 Nov. 1/5 Husky south Korean girls white-washed Thailand 106–17..in the second game.
1981 R. Lewis Seek for Justice vi. 193 He took the first game [of darts]... He all but whitewashed Freddy in the second.
2013 Aberdeen Evening Express (Nexis) 25 Apr. 8 The Dons prepared for the European Cup Winners' Cup final in style by whitewashing Kilmarnock.
5. intransitive. Of bricks: to become coated with a white layer of salts; to undergo whitewashing (whitewashing n. 4). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > pollution or defilement > be polluted [verb (intransitive)] > become incrusted or furred > of brick
whitewash1884
1884 C. T. Davis Pract. Treat. Manuf. Bricks 90 The bricks made from them [sc. clays on the Hudson River] usually ‘whitewash’ or ‘saltpetre’ upon exposure to the weather.
1893 Clay Rec. 2 35/2 I want to know in regard to bricks whitewashing in the building in different parts of the country where water does not come in contact with them.
1913 Official Rep. Twenty-seventh Ann. Convent. (National Brick Manufacturers' Assoc.) 145 ‘We have,’ say many clayworkers, ‘trouble with our brick whitewashing.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.?1584v.1576