Meanings
brillo-pad1
present singular third person brillo-pads · participle present brillo-padding · participle past brillo-padded · past brillo-padded
- Alternative letter-case form of Brillo-pad
Brillo-pad2
present singular third person Brillo-pads · participle present Brillo-padding · participle past Brillo-padded · past Brillo-padded · alternative brillo-pad
- informaltransitiveuncommonTo clean, scrub, or scour a surface, specifically pots, pans, or metals, using a brillo pad.
My sinuses feel Brillo-padded by the inhaled oven cleaner.
2003, Houghton Mifflin (publisher), The Best American Nonrequired Reading, page 1975 more examples
What had happened was - Bridget had indeed cleaned, scrubbed and Brillo-padded the oven. There remained a layer of soap along the grates and on the side-walls. What Bridget didn't do was rinse it out!
1980, Worthy Publishing, Mother's Day Ideals Nineteen EightyShe also Brillo-padded the front pipes which were working ones until she got water down them.
1986, Incorporated Association of Organists (contributor), Organists' Review, numbers 281-292, page 51I was still Brillo-padding the black chunks of hash brown from the flat-top, erection fading.
1994, University of British Columbia. Department of Creative Writing (contributor), Prism International, volume 33, page 39He Brillo padded the cuffs with the same enthusiasm. Not a mark. I started to pull out my wallet.
1996, Peter Legge, It Begins with a Dream, page 117Carl wipes his butt with wesson oil, sand, lighter fluid, and Crisco. Then he goes out to play pool. A real slip stroke artist, that one. He brillo pads his shaft if he hasn't had a date in a month. He buys them by the case. If he was on TV they'd call him Captain Buhrillo.
1997 July 10, Carl M. Pearson, “Billiard Terms that sound dirty but aren't...”, in rec.sport.billiard (Usenet)
Origin
A denominal from brillo pad. First use appears c. 1980. See cite below.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
brillo-pad. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo-pad
“brillo-pad.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo-pad. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brillo-pad,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brillo-pad.
Source: brillo-pad on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.