oilcloth

plural oilcloths

1. countableuncountableA fabric or cloth treated on one side with a waterproof covering, especially one made from linseed oil etc.; used for flooring, tablecloths, kitchen shelves and sometimes furniture covering.

   Ignatius pounded a paw into the oilcloth on the kitchen table.

   1963 (date written), John Kennedy Toole, chapter 9, in A Confederacy of Dunces, London: Penguin Books, published 1980 (1981 printing), →ISBN, page 184

   2 more examples

   A substitute for the bath-room is a large piece of oilcloth, which can be laid upon the floor of the ordinary dressing-room. Upon this may be placed the bath-tub or basin.

   1876, Eliza Bisbee Duffey, Our Behaviour: A Manual of Etiquette and Dress of the Best American Society, Philadelphia

   When the Lincolns moved into the White House, it was not furnished, there was oilcloth on the floor in the State Rooms because of the overflow from the spittoons.

   1995, Barbara Bush, Barbara Bush: A Memoir, page 346

   Synonyms: American cloth, linoleum, leathercloth, waxcloth