noun
- A fine white or grayish clay used for making tobacco pipes and for whitening leather or cloth.
verb
- To whiten or clean (leather, cloth, or equipment) with pipeclay.
Usage: chiefly British military; often used historically to describe the polishing of military uniforms and gear
Examples
- The potter selected pipeclay for crafting delicate tobacco pipes.
- Soldiers would pipeclay their belts and webbing to maintain a pristine appearance.
- The white powder used to pipeclay the equipment was difficult to apply evenly.
- In the 19th century, military recruits spent hours learning to pipeclay their uniforms.
- The antique pipeclay deposits in the region were once commercially valuable.
- She used pipeclay to restore the whiteness of the old leather gloves.