'T is the duke's pleasure, Whose disposition, all the world well
knows, Will not be rubbed nor stopped.
Shak.
To rub down. (a) To clean by rubbing; to comb or curry; as, to down a
horse. (b) To reduce or remove by rubbing; as, to rub down the rough
points. -- To rub off, to clean anything by rubbing; to separate by
friction; as, to rub off rust. -- To rub out, to remove or separate by
friction; to erase; to obliterate; as, to rub out a mark or letter; to
rub out a stain. -- To rub up. (a) To burnish; to polish; to clean. (b)
To excite; to awaken; to rouse to action; as, to rub up the memory.
Rub, v. i. 1. To move along the surface of a body with pressure; to
grate; as, a wheel rubs against the gatepost.