sponging

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of sponge

   “I'm to be a poor, crawling beggar, sponging for rum, when I might be rolling in a coach!”

noun

1. The application of a sponge.

   “I have employed cold air, and very often spongings with cold water, in order to moderate the preternatural heat of the skin, and to check the increased velocity of the circulation.”