sponge : Idioms & Phrases

• any one of several varieties of coarse commercial sponges, especially Spongia equina.

Webster 1913

• verb give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat
  quit; throw in; drop out; throw in the towel; fall by the wayside; give up; drop by the wayside.
  
  • In the second round, the challenger gave up

WordNet

• a toilet sponge growing in a cup-shaped form.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a sponge having finger-shaped lobes, or branches.

Webster 1913

• noun a siliceous sponge (with glassy spicules) of the class Hyalospongiae
  

WordNet

• . See Glass-sponge, in the Vocabulary.

Webster 1913

Glass"-sponge` noun

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A siliceous sponge, of the genus Hyalonema, and allied genera; -- so called from their glassy fibers or spicules; -- called also vitreous sponge. See Glass-rope, and Euplectella.

Webster 1913

• a variety of commercial sponge (Spongia officinalis, variety tubulufera), having very fine fibers, native of Florida, and the West Indies.
• (Zoöl.), a fine and soft variety of commercial sponges (Spongia officinalis).

Webster 1913

• any one of several varieties of coarse commercial sponges having the surface irregularly tufted, as Spongia graminea, and S. equina, variety cerebriformis, of Florida and the West Indies.
• (Zoöl.), an inferior kind of commercial sponge from Florida and the Bahamas.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a large, coarse, commercial sponge (Spongia equina).
• a coarse commercial sponge, especially Spongia equina.

Webster 1913

• noun the dried fibrous part of the fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa; used as a washing sponge or strainer
  loofa; loofah; luffa.
  

WordNet

• noun a rich sponge cake with close texture; intended to be eaten with a glass of Madeira wine
  Madeira cake.
  

WordNet

• (Chem.), metallic platinum in a gray, porous, spongy form, obtained by reducing the double chloride of platinum and ammonium. It absorbs oxygen, hydrogen, and certain other gases, to a high degree, and is employed as an agent in oxidizing.

Webster 1913

• a substance made of mushrooms or fungi, which are boiled in water, dried, and beaten, then put in a strong lye prepared with saltpeter, and again dried in an oven. This makes the black match, or tinder, brought from Germany.

Webster 1913

• a fine and durable commercial sponge (Spongia equina, variety gossypina) found in Florida and the West Indies. The surface is covered with larger and smaller tufts, having the oscula between them.

Webster 1913

• noun a waterproof bag for holding bathrooms items (soap and toothpaste etc.) when you are travelling
  toilet bag.
  

WordNet

• noun you wash your body with a sponge or washcloth instead of in a bathtub
  

WordNet

• noun a light porous cake made with eggs and flour and sugar without shortening
  

WordNet

• a kind of sweet cake which is light and spongy.

Webster 1913

• noun any soft porous fabric (especially in a loose honeycomb weave)
  

WordNet

• verb clean with a sponge, by rubbing
  sponge down.
  
• verb wash with a sponge
  

WordNet

• noun a genus of Porifera
  

WordNet

• noun any of several tropical annual climbers having large yellow flowers and edible young fruits; grown commercially for the mature fruit's dried fibrous interior that is used as a sponge
  rag gourd; dishcloth gourd; strainer vine; luffa.
  

WordNet

• (Chem.), metallic lead brought to a spongy form by reduction of lead salts, or by compressing finely divided lead; used in secondary batteries and otherwise.

Webster 1913

• noun a wet mop with a sponge as the absorbent
  

WordNet

• noun an edible and choice morel with a globular to elongate head with an irregular pattern of pits and ridges
  sponge morel; common morel; Morchella esculenta.
  

WordNet

• noun an edible and choice morel with a globular to elongate head with an irregular pattern of pits and ridges
  sponge morel; common morel; Morchella esculenta.
  

WordNet

• verb clean with a sponge, by rubbing
  sponge down.
  

WordNet

• verb apply with a sponge
  
  • The painter sponged on his washes

WordNet

• (Bot.), a tropical leguminous tree (Acacia Farnesiana), with deliciously fragrant flowers, which are used in perfumery.

Webster 1913

• verb absorb as if with a sponge
  
  • sponge up the spilled milk on the counter

WordNet

• (Cookery), to leaven a small mass of flour, to be used in leavening a larger quantity.

Webster 1913

• to give up a contest; to acknowledge defeat; from a custom of the prize ring, the person employed to sponge a pugilist between rounds throwing his sponge in the air in token of defeat. Cant or Slang "He was too brave a man to throw up the sponge to fate." Lowell. now, through in the towel is more common, and has the same origin and meaning.

Webster 1913

• a very fine and superior variety of Mediterranean sponge (Spongia officinalis, variety Mediterranea); called also turkish sponge.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) See Toilet sponge, under Sponge.

Webster 1913

• noun the loofah climber that has cylindrical fruit
  loofah; Luffa cylindrica.
  

WordNet

• . See 1st Loof.
• . (Bot.) See Loof.

Webster 1913

• a fine, soft commercial sponge (Spongia equina, variety meandriniformis) found in Florida and the West Indies.

Webster 1913

• noun a cake consisting of two layers of sponge cake with a jelly filling in between
  Victoria sandwich.
  

WordNet

• . See Glass-sponge.
• (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of siliceous sponges having, often fibrous, glassy spicules which are normally six-rayed; a hexactinellid sponge. See Venus's basket, under Venus.

Webster 1913

• a common and valuable commercial sponge (Spongia agaricina, variety corlosia) found in Florida and the West Indies.

Webster 1913