rinse down
1. To clean dirt or residue off of someone or something by spraying it with a liquid, especially water. A noun or pronoun can be used between "rinse" and "down." We'll need to rinse down the side of the house and let it dry before we start painting. The dog is covered in mud, so take him out back and rinse him down with a hose.
2. To use the force of water or another liquid to remove something into or toward something else. A noun or pronoun is used between "rinse" and "down." Don't rinse those bits of food down the sink—they'll clog up the drain. Luckily it started raining, which rinsed all that splattered paint into the gutter.
3. To drink something in order to aid the act of eating or swallowing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "rinse" and "down." I could use a cold soda to rinse down these fries. If she struggles to swallow that pill, give her some more water to rinse it down.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
rinse someone or something down
to wash or clean someone or something with water or other fluid. I rinsed him down for an hour and still didn't get the smell of skunk off him. I had to rinse down the driveway.
rinse something down (with something)
to wash something down one's throat with a liquid; to follow something that one has eaten with a drink to aid its going down. Alice rinsed the cheeseburger down with a milkshake. She rinsed down the sandwich with a drink.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.