Word of the Day
21 February 2026
wipe
verbPlumbing
To make (a joint, as between pieces of lead pipe), by surrounding the junction with a mass of solder, applied in a plastic condition by means of a rag with which the solder is shaped by rubbing.
Why this one
The name is literal: the plumber shapes a pasty mass of solder by rubbing it with a moleskin cloth, so the joint is formed by hand pressure rather than run into a socket. Lead work is largely gone, but the skill survives in restoration and pipe organ trades.
In use
Old boy on the heritage job can still wipe a joint on lead, and there's maybe three of them left in the county.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.