Turk's head brush

The "Turk's head" brush design (top) prevents the stem coming into contact with the surface being cleaned.

A Turk's head brush is a type of cleaning brush where the bristles are arranged covering the end of the stem as a half-sphere, so that the end of the stem does not come into direct contact with the surface being cleaned, especially when cleaning the inside of a cylindrical object. A larger type, mounted on a long stem and used for removing cobwebs, is called a Turk's head broom. The name has long been in use for this type of brush, so named because its cleaning end resembles a "wild" head of hair.[1] Turk's head brushes and brooms are used for domestic purposes,[2] for cleaning artillery,[3] for pharmaceutical use,[4] for sweeping chimneys,[5] and for other purposes.

Controversy

Some types of toilet bowl brushes with this design are referred to by resellers by the name "Turk's head toilet bowl brush". Such brushes are manufactured by, among others, the American company Newell Rubbermaid. Turkish Americans have reacted to the name used for the product, arguing that it is derogatory and insulting.[6][7][8] In response, Newell Rubbermaid has stated that the company does not itself use this name.[9] However, the name is still used by resellers.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Peter Richard Wilkinson, Thesaurus of Traditional English Metaphors, 2nd ed, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0-415-27685-3, p. 110.
  2. ↑ H. C. Davidson, The Book of the Home: An Encyclopaedia of All Matters Relating to the House and Household Management, Gresham, 1905, p. 183.
  3. ↑ Frederick Augustus Griffiths, The Artillerist's Manual, and British Soldier's Compendium, 2nd ed., W.H. Allen and Co., 1840, p. 56.
  4. ↑ Bulletin of Pharmacy, Volume 6, 1892, p. 256.
  5. ↑ Benita Cullingford, British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping, New Amsterdam Books, 2001, ISBN 1-56663-345-1, p. 35.
  6. ↑ Turkish American Legal Defense Fund (TALDF)
  7. ↑ "Türklüğe çirkin yakıştırma" [Ugly reference to Turkishness]. Vatan (in Turkish). June 22, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  8. ↑ "ABD'de Türklüğe İĞRENÇ saldırı" [DISGUSTING attack in the USA on Turkishness] (in Turkish). İnteraktif Haber. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  9. ↑ Letter from Newell Rubbermaid, April 20, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Toilet Bowl Brush, Turks Head [RCP6320]". Rubbermaid Wholesale (not affiliated with Rubbermaid Commercial Products). Retrieved April 1, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, December 16, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.