Meaning & use
rubbing in
Last updated
“rubbing in” is a form of “rub in”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitivetechnical
The act of mixing fat into flour by rubbing it with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Grammar: Used as a gerund or present participle: 'Rubbing in the butter takes time.' It often takes an object: 'rub in the butter'.
Patterns
- rub in the butter
- rub in the fat
- rubbing in the flour
Rubbing in the butter is the first step in making shortcrust pastry.
She demonstrated rubbing in the fat until the mixture resembled fine breadcrumbs.
For a lighter cake, pay attention when rubbing in the margarine.
verbtransitiveinformal
The act of repeatedly reminding someone of something embarrassing or a mistake they made.
Grammar: Usually in the phrase 'rub it in' or 'rub something in'. Often used in the negative: 'Don't rub it in.'
Patterns
- rub it in
- rub something in
- don't rub it in
I know I lost the game; you don't have to keep rubbing it in.
He kept rubbing in the fact that he got a better grade than me.
She apologized, but then she rubbed it in by mentioning it again at dinner.
Word forms
| base form | rub in |
|---|---|
| third person singular | rubs in |
| past tense | rubbed in |
| past participle | rubbed in |
| -ing form | rubbing in |
Common combinations
- rubbing in the butter
- Rubbing in the butter gives the pastry a crumbly texture.
- rub it in
- I made a mistake, but you don't have to rub it in.
- keep rubbing it in
- He kept rubbing it in that he had won the bet.
- rubbing in the flour
- Rubbing in the flour and fat is a classic baking technique.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mixing
- General term for combining ingredients; 'rubbing in' is a specific method using your fingertips.
- emphasizing
- For the second sense, 'emphasizing' is more neutral; 'rubbing in' is informal and often negative.
Word family
Commonly confused: rubbing in or rubbing?
rubbing in vs rubbing
'Rubbing' alone means moving something over a surface; 'rubbing in' specifically means mixing fat into flour or repeatedly reminding someone of something.
Practice
In which sentence does 'rubbing in' refer to a cooking technique?
Choose one answer.
In option 1, 'rubbing in the butter' describes mixing butter into flour, a cooking method. Options 0 and 3 use 'rubbing in' to mean repeatedly reminding someone of something, and option 2 uses 'rubbing in' literally to mean applying cream by rubbing, not the cooking technique.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rubbing in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.