English

Verb

bottom the house ‎(third-person singular simple present bottoms the house, present participle bottoming the house, simple past and past participle bottomed the house)

1. (idiomatic, dated) To clean a house from top to bottom; to clean a house extremely thoroughly
   • 1957, Richard Hoggart, The Uses of Literacy, ISBN 9780765804211:

     The half-length lace curtains keep out most of what little sun there is, but they establish your privacy: the window-ledges and doorsteps scrubbed and yellowed with scouring-stone further establish that you are a 'decent' family, that you believe in 'bottoming' the house each week.

   • 1978, Colin Gordon, A richer dust: echoes from an Edwardian album:

     She had 'bottomed' the house (ie spring-cleaned) and cooked specially for me.

   • 1985, The Raving Beauties, editors, No holds barred, ISBN 9780704339637:

     My mother-in-law pickled walnuts
     and covered floors in rag rugs
     she bottomed the house each spring

Translations

See also

• spring cleaning