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dhobi
a bath or wash (used by the RAN): I'm off to have a dhobi.
Contributor's comments: In India, a dhobi is a laundryman.
Contributor's comments: The word dhobi for a wash (as apparently used in the RAN) reminds me that when working in Jakarta some years ago the Australian embassy doctor described a groin rash (caused by heat and humidity) as 'dhobi rash' because it been thought the washermen in British houselholds in colonial India did not always rinse underwear properly and this caused the rash.
Contributor's comments: Used in the context of washing the clothes, e.g. "to do the dhobi-ing." Used in the RAN during the 1950s.
Contributor's comments: "Dhobi" is actually Hindi for 'laundry' and was very much part of British services slang certainly up until the late 60s. It dates from the British Raj. A 'dhobi wallah' is stil the man who collects and launders your clothes. "Dhobi Itch" or rash comes not from the dhobi wallah failing to launder the garments properly but from the excessive quantities of starch used to achive sharp military pleats and creases. The starch irritated sensitive areas, particularly in humid conditions.