sponge

Dictionary: sponge   (spŭnj)

1. 1. Any of numerous aquatic, chiefly marine invertebrate animals of the phylum Porifera, characteristically having a porous skeleton composed of fibrous material or siliceous or calcareous spicules and often forming irregularly shaped colonies attached to an underwater surface.
   2. The light, fibrous, flexible, absorbent skeleton of certain of these organisms, used for bathing, cleaning, and other purposes.
2. 1. Porous plastics, rubber, cellulose, or other material, similar in absorbency to this skeleton and used for the same purposes.
   2. Metal in a porous, brittle form, as after the removal of other metals in processing, used as a raw material in manufacturing.
3. A gauze pad used to absorb blood and other fluids, as in surgery or the dressing of a wound.
4. A small absorbent contraceptive pad that contains a spermicide and is placed against the cervix of the uterus before sexual intercourse.
5. Dough that has been or is being leavened.
6. A light cake, such as sponge cake.
7. A sponge bath.
8. One who habitually depends on others for one's own maintenance.
9. 1. Informal. A glutton.
   2. Slang. A drunkard.

1. To moisten, wipe, or clean with or as if with a sponge: sponge off the table.
2. To wipe out; erase.
3. To absorb with or as if with a sponge: sponge up the mess.
4. Informal. To obtain free: sponge a meal.

1. To fish for sponges.
2. Informal. To live by relying on the generosity of others: sponged off her parents.

[Middle English, from Old English, from Latin spongia, from Greek spongiā, from spongos.]

Background

There are many different varieties of sea sponges, and these come in widely varying shapes and sizes. They can be very large, and grow in elaborate branched formations, or be round and small, or grow flat or in a tube shape. Some are brilliantly colored, though they fade when they are harvested. Sea sponges are thought to have evolved at least 700 million years ago. They are among the simplest animal organisms, having no specialized organs such as heart and lungs, and no locomotion. Sponges live attached to rocks on the sea bed. Their bodies consist of skeletons made of a soft material called spongin, and a leathery skin broken by pores. The sponge eats by pumping seawater in through its pores. It filters microscopic plants from the water, and expels the excess water through one or more large holes called oscula. It also absorbs oxygen directly from seawater. Sponges are slow-growing, taking several years to reach full size, and some live for hundreds of years.

Sea sponges were used since ancient times in the Mediterranean region where they are most common. Roman soldiers each carried a personal sponge, which served the purpose of modern toilet paper, and they were certainly used for other purposes as well. Artificial sponges were first developed by the Du Pont company—a leader in synthetic materials manufacturing industry that also invented nylon—in the 1940s. Three DuPont engineers patented the cellulose sponge process, and DuPont held onto the secret until 1952, when it sold its sponge technology to General Mills. In the second half of the twentieth century, cellulose sponges rapidly replaced the natural sponge for most common household uses.

Raw Materials

Many different types of sponge are harvested and dried for human use, but the most common one is the Spongia oficinalis, also known as the glove sponge. Another common type used commercially is the sheep's wool sponge, or Hippospongia canaliculata. Synthetic sponges are made of three basic ingredients: cellulose derived from wood pulp, sodium sulphate, and hemp fiber. Other materials needed are chemical softeners, which break the cellulose down into the proper consistency, bleach, and dye.

Harvesting Sea Sponges

To gather natural sponges, specially trained divers descend into sponge-growing waters with a large two-pronged hook and a string bag. Traditional sponge divers in Greece used no special breathing equipment. The men of seaside villages were trained from childhood and were expert deep water divers. The sponge industry in the United States centers around Tarpon Springs, Florida, a community that was founded by Greek immigrant divers. Today's sponge divers use modern diving equipment such as wet suits and oxygen tanks. The divers pry sponges off the rocks or reefs where they grow, and bring them up in their string bags. The divers pile the sponges on the deck of their boat and cover them with wet cloths. The animals die on the boat, and their skins rot off. After the skins have decayed, the harvesters wash the sponges and string them on a long, thin rope to dry in the sun. After they have dried completely, the harvesters wash the sponges several more times. This is all the preparation the sponges need to be ready for sale.

The Manufacturing
Process

The steps necessary in the manufacture of synthetic sponge is discussed below.

1. The cellulose used for sponges arrives at the sponge factory in large, stiff sheets. Workers take the sheets and soak them in a vat of water mixed with certain chemical softeners. The cellulose becomes soft and jelly-like. Then workers load the cellulose into a revolving mixer, which is a large rotating metal drum. Workers add the sodium sulphate crystals, cut hemp fibers, and dye, and close the mixer. The mixer is set to rotate, and it churns the ingredients so that they are thoroughly amalgamated.
2. From the mixer, workers pour the material into a large rectangular mold that may be 2 ft (61 cm) high, 2 ft (61 cm) wide, and 6 ft (1.8 m) long. The mold is heated, and the cellulose mixture cooks. As it cooks, the sodium sulphate crystals melt, and drain away through openings in the bottom of the mold. It is their melting that leaves the characteristic pores in the finished sponge. The size of the pores is determined by the size of the sodium sulphate crystals. A rough sponge used for washing a car, for instance, is made with coarse crystals, while a fine sponge of the type used for applying makeup is made with very fine crystals. As the celluolose mix cooks, then cools, it becomes a hard, porous block.
3. The sponge block is then soaked in a vat of bleach. This removes dirt and impurities, and also brightens the color. Next the sponge is cleaned in water. Additional washings alter the texture, making the sponge more pliable. The sponge is left to dry, to prepare it for cutting.
4. Some manufacturers make the sponge and cut and package it themselves. Others produce the raw blocks of sponge, and then sell them to a company known as a converter. The converter cuts the sponges according to its customers needs, and takes care of the packaging and distribution. Whether at the first manufacturing facility or at the converter, workers cut the sponges on an automatic cutter. They load each big rectangle of sponge into a machine that slices it into the desired size. Because the sponge block is rectangular, it can be cut into many smaller rectangles with little or no waste.
5. Many household sponges have a textured plastic scouring pad attached to one side. This is attached in a process called laminating, after the sponge is cut. The scouring pad, which is cut to the same size as the sponge, is affixed to the sponge in a laminating machine that uses a specialized sponge glue made of moisture-cured polyurethane. Next, the sponges move to a packaging area where they are sealed in plastic. The packaged sponges are boxed, and the boxes sent to a warehouse for further distribution.

Quality Control

A sponge manufacturer typically checks the product for quality at many steps along the manufacturing process. The raw ingredients are analyzed when they come into the plant to make sure they conform to standards. In a modern facility, most of the machinery is monitored by computers, that maintain the proper proportions in the mix, for example, and control the temperature of the mold during the cooking process. The finished sponges are checked for tenacity, that is, how easily they tear. An inspector takes a random sample from the batch and puts it in a specially built machine. The machine measures the force needed to tear the sponge. Another test is of color. In this case, a sample sponge is examined under a spectrograph.

Byproducts/Waste

Sponge manufacturing produces no harmful byproducts and little waste. Sponge material that is lost in trimming, such as when an uneven end is cut off the large block, is ground up and recycled. It can be thrown in the mixer at the beginning of the process, and become part of a new sponge.

Where to Learn More

Books

Esbensen, Barbara Juster. Sponges Are Skeletons (New York: Harper Collins, 1993).

Periodicals

Sookdeo, Richard. "Ex-sponging Bacteria." Fortune (October 31, 1994).

[Article by: Angela Woodward]

Light-textured cake made from self-raising flour beaten with butter, eggs, and sugar.

[SPUHNJ] 1. A frothy, gelatin-based dessert that has been lightened by the addition of beaten egg whites. Sometimes whipped cream is added, though it makes the dessert richer and not as airy. Sponges may be variously flavored, usually with fruit purées. 2. A mixture made by combining the yeast with some of the flour and liquid called for in a bread recipe. The thick, batterlike mixture is covered and set aside until it bubbles and becomes foamy, which, depending on the combination of ingredients, can take up to 8 hours. During this time, the sponge develops a tangy flavor. The remaining ingredients are added to this sponge and the bread is kneaded and baked as usual. Using a sponge also makes the final loaf slightly denser.

noun

1. One who depends on another for support without reciprocating: bloodsucker, hanger-on, leech, parasite. Slang freeloader. See dependence/independence.
2. A person who is habitually drunk: drunk, drunkard, inebriate, sot, tippler. Slang boozehound, boozer, lush², rummy¹, soak, souse, stiff. See drugs/temperance.

verb

To take advantage of the generosity of others: leech. Slang freeload. See dependence/independence.

Idioms beginning with sponge:
sponge on

In addition to the idiom beginning with sponge, also see throw in the sponge.

[Unix] A special case of a filter that reads its entire input before writing any output; the canonical example is a sort utility. Unlike most filters, a sponge can conveniently overwrite the input file with the output data stream. If a file system has versioning (as ITS did and VMS does now) the sponge/filter distinction loses its usefulness, because directing filter output would just write a new version. See also slurp.

(click to enlarge)
A simple saclike sponge. Its surface is perforated by small openings (incurrent pores) formed by … (credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)

Any of some 5,000 species (phylum Porifera) of permanently affixed (sessile), mostly marine, solitary or colonial invertebrates, found from shallow to deep (more than 30,000 ft, or 9,000 m) waters. Simple sponges are hollow cylinders with a large opening at the top through which water and wastes are expelled. A thin, perforated outer epidermal layer covers a porous skeleton, which is composed of interlocking spicules of calcium carbonate, silica, or spongin (found in 80% of all sponges), a proteinaceous material. The body, ranging in diameter or length from 1 in. (2.5 cm) to several yards, may be fingerlike, treelike, or a shapeless mass. Sponges lack organs and specialized tissue; flagellated cells move water into the central cavity through the perforations, and individual cells digest food (bacteria, other microorganisms, and organic debris), excrete waste, and absorb oxygen. Sponges can reproduce asexually or sexually. Larval forms are free-swimming but all adults are sessile. Since antiquity, sponges have been harvested for use in holding water, bathing, and scrubbing; because of overharvesting and newer technologies, most sponges sold today are synthetic.

For more information on sponge, visit Britannica.com.

A porous, absorbent mass, as a pad of gauze or cotton surrounded by gauze, or the elastic fibrous skeleton of certain species of marine animals.

• s. forceps — see foerster sponge forceps.
• gelatin s. (absorbable) — a spongy form of denatured gelatin, soaked with thrombin and used for topical hemostasis.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - svamp, serviet, (sukkersbrøds)dej, nasser, snyltegæst
v. tr. - viske, vaske, suge op, tørre, snylte, nasse på
v. intr. - nasse

idioms:

• sponge bag    toilettaske
• sponge cake    sukkerbrødskage
• sponge down    afvaske med svamp
• sponge off    afvaske med svamp
• sponge on    nasse på
• sponge out    viske ud

Nederlands (Dutch)
spons, profiteur, luchtig soort toetje, afsponsen, parasiteren, duiken naar spons

Français (French)
n. - (Zool) éponge, coup d'éponge, génoise, (Méd) compresse
v. tr. - frotter/laver avec une éponge, éponger, taper qch à qn (péj)
v. intr. - vivre sur le dos de (fam)

idioms:

• sponge bag    (GB) trousse de toilette
• sponge cake    gâteau de Savoie
• sponge down    laver avec une éponge
• sponge off    faire partir (qch) avec une éponge
• sponge on    vivre sur le dos de
• sponge out    effacer à l'éponge, nettoyer à l'éponge

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schwamm, Tupfer, Schmarotzer, Biskuitkuchen, Schwammpudding
v. - abwischen, aufsaugen

idioms:

• sponge bag    Kulturbeutel
• sponge cake    Biskuitkuchen
• sponge down    mit einem Schwamm abwaschen
• sponge off    abwischen, schmarotzen
• sponge on    schnorren
• sponge out    mit einem Schwamm abwaschen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σπόγγος, σφουγγάρι, καθάρισμα με σφουγγάρι, (μτφ.) σελέμης, τρακαδόρος, μπεκρής, κρασοκανάτα
v. - σφουγγίζω, συλλέγω/μαζεύω σφουγγάρια, (καθομ.) παρασιτώ, κάνω τράκα

idioms:

• sponge bag    νεσεσέρ τουαλέτας
• sponge cake    (μαγειρ.) αφράτο κέικ
• sponge down    πλένω/-ομαι με σφουγγάρι
• sponge off    σφουγγίζω, καθαρίζω, κάνω τράκα
• sponge on    ζω σε βάρος (κάποιου)
• sponge out    σφουγγίζω, καθαρίζω

Italiano (Italian)
spugna, scroccone

idioms:

• sponge bag    borsa da toilette
• sponge cake    pandispagna
• sponge down    passare la spugna su
• sponge off    vivere a scrocco
• sponge on    vivere a scrocco
• sponge out    sciacquare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - esponja (f), lavagem rápida (f)
v. - lavar

idioms:

• sponge bag    bolsa para toalete
• sponge cake    pão-de-ló (m)
• sponge down    esfregar
• sponge off    explorar, remover
• sponge on    viver às custas de alguém
• sponge out    apagar

Русский (Russian)
губка, обтирание губкой, губчатое вещество, кислое тесто, опара, бисквит, взбитые белки, трясина, пенопласт, пьянчуга, тампон, нахлебник, восприимчивый человек, мыть, чистить, вытирать губкой, собирать губки, быть нахлебником, промакивать, стирать губкой, тряпкой, зачеркнуть

idioms:

• sponge bag    непромокаемый мешочек для мыла, губки, полосатые или клетчатые брюки
• sponge cake    бисквит, бисквитный торт, бисквитное пирожное
• sponge down    обтирать мокрой губкой, обтираться мокрой губкой
• sponge off    стирать губкой
• sponge on    паразитировать на ком-л., жить за чей-л. счет
• sponge out    зачеркнуть, предать забвению

Español (Spanish)
n. - esponja, aprovechado, gorrón, parásito
v. tr. - mojar o lavar con esponja, borrar, absorber, embeber, chupar, sacar, exprimir
v. intr. - esponjarse, pescar esponjas

idioms:

• sponge bag    bolsa de aseo, neceser
• sponge cake    bizcocho
• sponge down    limpiar con esponja
• sponge off    dar un sablazo
• sponge on    vivir a costa de, gorronear
• sponge out    quitar con una esponja

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - svamp, svampig massa, tampong, kompress, tvättning, avtorkning, uppjäst deg, fyllgubbe
v. - samla svampar, tvätta med svamp, sudda ut, utplåna

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
海绵, 海绵状物, 海绵体, 揩拭, 抹掉, 吸取, 海绵般地吸收, 讨得, 骗得, 采集海绵, 被用海绵擦去, 当食客, 过寄生生活

idioms:

• sponge bag    尤指旅行用的盥洗用品袋
• sponge cake    松糕
• sponge down    揩拭, 擦洗, 用湿海绵擦掉
• sponge off    被用海绵擦洗掉, 用湿海绵擦掉, 当食客, 过寄生虫般的生活
• sponge on    依赖
• sponge out    忘记

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 海綿, 海綿狀物, 海綿體
v. tr. - 揩拭, 抹掉, 吸取, 海綿般地吸收, 討得, 騙得
v. intr. - 採集海綿, 海綿般地吸收, 被用海綿擦去, 當食客, 過寄生生活

idioms:

• sponge bag    尤指旅行用的盥洗用品袋
• sponge cake    鬆糕
• sponge down    揩拭, 擦洗, 用濕海綿擦掉
• sponge off    被用海綿擦洗掉, 用濕海綿擦掉, 當食客, 過寄生蟲般的生活
• sponge on    依賴
• sponge out    忘記

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 해면 동물, 스펀지, 외과용 살균 거즈
v. tr. - 해면으로 흡수하다, 지우다, (남에게서) 우려내다
v. intr. - (해면 등이) 흡수하다, 해면을 채취하다, 식객이 되다

idioms:

• sponge down    젖은 해면으로 몸 닦기
• sponge off    염치없이 붙어 살다, 등치다
• sponge on    기식하다
• sponge out    닦아내다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - スポンジ, 海綿, 海綿状の物, ガーゼ帯, 居候
v. - スポンジで洗う, スポンジで吸い取る, たかる, せびる

idioms:

• sponge bag    浴用スポンジ入れ, チェックのズボン
• sponge cake    スポンジケーキ
• sponge down    洗い流す
• sponge off    洗い流す
• sponge on    たかる
• sponge out    ぬぐい消す

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اسفنج (فعل) نظف أو مسح بالاسفنجه, تطفل على, كان عاله على غيره‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ספוג, נצלן, טפיל, טורט, עוגה קלילה, תיק רחצה, שתיין, ניקוי בספוג, ספיגה‬
v. tr. - ‮ספג, סחט, ניצל, מרח (צבע) בספוג, ניקה או ניגב בספוג‬
v. intr. - ‮חי כטפיל, אסף ספוגים‬

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