dishpan hands

pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

A rough, dry, scaly condition of the hands typically caused by sensitivity to or excessive use of household detergents or cleaning agents.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

We often complained we were the only boys in our small town with dishpan hands. We took our turns in front of the sink as soon as we were tall enough to see over it while standing on a stool made specially for that purpose.

Remembering the time when 'wash day' & Maytag were synonymous

(32) Rough "dishpan hands" suggested not just carelessness in terms of appearance but lower-class social status as defined by a life of tedious housework.

Minna Citron's "Feminanities": her commentary on the culture of vanity

(As the ad said, who wants a woman with dishpan hands?) I also sympathise with women that they are missing the gene that facilitates sensible loading of a dishwasher.

Good clean fight; ARE MEN REALLY BETTER AT DOING THE HOUSEWORK THAN WOMEN?

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