Usage Note
Serpillière is the traditional French term for a thick floor-washing cloth or mop head. In Quebec and parts of Belgium, vadrouille is preferred for a mop. The word has a mildly humorous or down-to-earth register and occasionally appears in idioms about doing menial work. The standard modern mop-on-a-stick is often called un balai serpillière.
Examples
"Elle passe la serpillière dans la cuisine."
Natural Translation
She mops the kitchen floor.
Literal Translation
She passes the mop in the kitchen.
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