sheep-dip

American  

[sheep-dip] / ˈʃipˌdɪp /

noun

1. a lotion or wash applied to the fleece or skin of sheep to kill vermin, usually applied by immersing the animals in vats.

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sheep-dip British  

noun

1. any of several liquid disinfectants and insecticides in which sheep are immersed to kill vermin and germs in their fleece

2. a deep trough containing such a liquid

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Etymology

Origin of sheep-dip

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Last time you and I were together, we were at an event in D.C. where it felt like people were starting to get the message about this Leonard Leo sheep-dip process.

From Slate • Nov. 25, 2024

Approval for diazinon, mostly used as a sheep-dip in the UK, was revoked in this country in 1999 and its use in agriculture phased out from that date.

From The Guardian • Oct. 1, 2010

There is a pause, during which my father spits, and then the conversation turns to the price of cattle, the E.E.C., butter mountains, the cost of lime and sheep-dip.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 8, 2010

Tommy himself admits that some of his show-biz colleagues might consider the deal "demeaning," and that off-season substitute series are "generally so much sheep-dip."

From Time Magazine Archive

Lighting his pipe of rank "sheep-dip" tobacco when the supper-dishes were finally cleaned and the dogs fed, he once more prepared for the profitless process of panning.

From The Crimson Gardenia and Other Tales of Adventure by Beach, Rex Ellingwood