What is the origin of this word?

[LW Bercini]

I know this term goes way back, but can somebody tell me why we refer to a canceled launch as "scrubbed"?

Thanks

 

[HVArcas]

Instead of taking up the research of this task, i will punt

 

[jkovac]

Found this on Reddit. There are other explanations offered as well, pretty murky.

The expression is in common use in the Royal Navy and has been for many generations. It derives from the days when all signals and orders were written on a slate. When the signals were cancelled or orders executed, the words on the slate were ‘scrubbed out’ or, equally correctly ‘washed out’.

 

[rockladen]

I believe it originates from the Royal Navy way back when procedures, orders, or plans were written on slate. If a procedure was changed, the slate was "scrubbed" clean.

 

[HVArcas]

Found this on Reddit. There are other explanations offered as well, pretty murky.

The expression is in common use in the Royal Navy and has been for many generations. It derives from the days when all signals and orders were written on a slate. When the signals were cancelled or orders executed, the words on the slate were ‘scrubbed out’ or, equally correctly ‘washed out’.

nice! i will remember that for sure

 

[PXR5]

Use scrubbed in a sentence;

I told my wife I have scrubbed my chore of scrubbing the bathtub.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

It’s been around for a long, long time. It was used commonly in WWII to mean a mission has been canceled. And it’s used in horse racing to indicate a horse has been canceled from a race. I heard it had to do with naval signals, with orders written on a slate, and if an order was canceled, it was literally scrubbed off the slate. It makes sense to me that the “canceled” meaning is linked to the “cleaned” meaning, and the thing that has been canceled has been cleaned off the schedule.

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

I type too slow! You guys beat me to it!

 

[Fattbank64]

And it’s used in horse racing to indicate a horse has been canceled from a race.

Correction...

Horses are scratched not scrubbed from a race.

 

[GlenP]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/05/27/weather-forecast-spacex-launch/“Weather scrubs SpaceX launch of NASA astronauts“

 

[ThirstyBarbarian]

Correction...

Horses are scratched not scrubbed from a race.

Dang! I shouldn’t have bet on all those scratched horses thinking it was ok as long as they weren’t scrubbed!

 

[neil_w]

HEY GUYS I THINK IT'S BECAUSE THEY USED TO WRITE ORDERS ON A------- oh never mind.

 

[Bat-mite]

What topic is slated for our next discussion?

 

[SDramstad]

What topic is slated for our next discussion?

It's been scrubbed....

 

[Funkworks]

Sorry for being that guy but since I couldn't help but going there, I might as well post it:

Etymology:
Borrowing from Middle Dutch schrubben, ‘to scrub’; from Germanic skrubbojanan, ‘to rub, scrub’.

 

[KenECoyote]

Not having a witty reply was bothering me, but I decided to brush it off.

 

[Bat-mite]

Not having a witty reply was bothering me, but I decided to brush it off.

Make sure you blow it off after you brush it off.