rubadub

English · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

rubadub^¹

Where it comes from

(drum sound): Imitative.

noun rubadubs

countable, uncountable The sound of a drum being continuously beaten. There would be a deafening rub-a-dub of drums and blowing of shell-trumpets.
broadly, countable, uncountable A clamorous, repeated sound; a clatter. July 17 1850, Daniel Webster, "a speech", documented in Notes and Queries the rubadub of the abolition presses
countable, uncountable A Jamaican style of dance with suggestive rubbing or grinding motions.
Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable A pub or club. The first rub-a-dub on this tour of hostelries is remarkable in many ways. The Black Lion at 59 High Street, Plaistow, E13 (see entry), dates from the 15th century and was rebuilt as a coaching inn in 1875.
countable, slang, uncountable A drunkard. We got to the bar on Eleventh Avenue and walked in. It was empty except for the fat old bartender and a few old rubadubs on the stools at the bar.
Similar: rubby-dub

Rubadub^²

proper noun

derogatory, informal Ramadan. When I began working for Stan, he brought in a big book. He wanted me to put in any days I couldn't work. 'You know,' he said. 'Special days, holidays and stuff.' 'I don't understand, Stan.' 'You know, like Christmas or Rub-a-dub. 'Ah, I think you mean Ramadan, Stan. But I'm not actually a Muslim.'

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"rubadub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rubadub. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rubadub. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rubadub

Chicago

"rubadub." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rubadub.

BibTeX

@misc{rubadub_2026,
  title = {rubadub},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rubadub},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}