Brillo Pad is a trade name for a scouring pad, used for cleaning dishes, and made from steel wool impregnated with soap. The concept was patented in 1913. The company's website states the name Brillo is from the Latin word for 'bright,' though no such word exists in Latin; however, Italian, French, Spanish and English do have words for 'shine' or 'bright' beginning with brill-.
It came at a time when aluminium pots and pans were replacing cast iron in the kitchen. Easily blackened by coal fires, the shine of the cookware didn't last long.
Read more about Brillo Pad: History, Private Eye Usage
Famous quotes containing the word pad:
“I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils,
Neat in their boxes, dolor of pad and paper-weight,
All the misery of manilla folders and mucilage,
Desolation in immaculate public places,”
—Theodore Roethke (1908–1963)