Dish-washing liquid

[Stevenloan]

- I have a girlfriend whose parents have a small factory which produces chemical to create dish-washing liquid.

- Does this sentence sound good enough?

Thanks a million!

StevenLoan

[trolley]

I don't think it's wrong but I wouldn't use "have" twice.
"I have a girlfriend whose parents have a ....." sounds kind of clunky to me.
"My girlfriends parents have...." or " I have a girlfriend whose parents own/run..."
I always struggle with the "that/which" thing. I usually go with what sounds better to me (in this case "that"), only to find that's wrong.
The factory produces chemicals (plural) or a chemical (singular)

[Edwin F Ashworth]

Yes, I have a girlfriend... would probably invite a thick ear. I have a wife... certainly would.

My girlfriend's parents run a small factory that produces chemicals used primarily in the manufacture of washing-up liquid.

[marie26]

Yes, I have a girlfriend... would probably invite a thick ear

What does it mean to 'invite a thick ear?'

[trolley]

Think of a cauliflower-ear, and the many ways you can ask for one. Rugby, boxing, wrestling, speaking when you should be listening, referring to your wife as "the old Lady", answering questions like "does this make me look fat?", etc.....

[Edwin F Ashworth]

Yes, a thick ear is the collocation, Marie, not invite a thick ear.
I forget that collocations are easy, provided they're ones you're familiar with. We get a lot of the newer American ones over here via the media - a mixed blessing!

[Wizard of Oz]

marie said:

What does it mean to 'invite a thick ear?'

.. means to say or do something that in all probability will result in the offended party punching/hitting/belting/smacking you in the ear very hard .. hard enough to cause your ear to ring or bruise .. Oxford Dictionary of Slang gives thick ear as being British in origin from 1909 ..

WoZ who hast given and received

[Edwin F Ashworth]

Confusingly, turn a blind eye is an isomorphic expression where the verb is part of the collocation.

[Erik_Kowal]

As it also is in turn a deaf ear [to]. However, I have yet to encounter turn a deaf thick ear, or even merely turn a thick ear.

[Edwin F Ashworth]

I've found one Ghit for turn a deft sentence.
I daren't check for turn a daft sentence.

[Bobinwales]

Dish-washing liquid is washing up liquid where I come from.

[Erik_Kowal]

Here in the US, washing-up liquid is often known as 'dish soap' (or 'dish liquid'), even though chemically it is a detergent, not a soap.

'Dishwashing liquid' (or 'dishwashing/dishwasher detergent') is what you would put in a dishwashing machine rather than a washing-up bowl (or 'dishpan', as the latter is normally called here).

Also, 'to wash up' here generally means 'to wash one's hands' (and often one's face), such as prior to eating -- what someone from the UK might refer to as 'freshening up'. One would typically perform this act over a bathroom sink, washbowl or washbasin, rather than over what the British would call a handbasin or wash-hand basin.

It took me a long time after moving to the USA from the UK to get to grips with all these subtle differences in nomenclature, and I still sometimes get them wrong if I'm not paying attention.

[Edwin F Ashworth]

At least you can have your bath and take it. But don't eat your soap cake.

[Wizard of Oz]

.. in Aus a very subtle difference hinging on _ er or _ing .. dishwashing liquid is used to handwash dishes in the kitchen sink .. dishwasher liquid is put into a dishwasher (machine) to wash the dishes ..

WoZ who prefers paper plates

[Edwin F Ashworth]

Yes, there's a very subtle difference between being a dyer and dying too.