411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Harpic
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Alternative forms
en harpic
Etymology
Contraction of the name of the toilet cleaner inventor Harry Pickup.
Noun
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An international brand of toilet cleaner
en 1923 Unknown Advertisement The Journal of State Medicine http://www.jstor.org/stable/45204490 31 1 iv ‘HARPIC’ CLEANS THE TRAP & PIPE. Weekly sprinkling KEEPS the BOWL SPOTLESS.
en slang countable Crazy, insane (from the Harpic marketing slogan ‘cleans round the bend’)
en w:Nevil Shute 4 Round the Bend London Heinemann 1951 “Harpic? Why do you call him that?" "He's clean round the bend."