cotton wool
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cotton wool
A soft, fluffy material, usually made of cotton, that is used for medical, cosmetic, or hygienic purposes.
Sie benutzte einen Wattebausch, um den Nagellack zu entfernen.
She used a cotton ball to remove the nail polish.
to wrap someone in cotton wool
An idiom meaning to protect someone excessively and keep them away from all difficulties and negative experiences.
Seine Eltern haben ihn immer in Watte gepackt, deshalb ist er so unselbstständig.
His parents always wrapped him in cotton wool, which is why he is so dependent.
'Watte' (cotton wool) is usually an uncountable noun, similar to 'Wasser' (water) or 'Sand' (sand). You therefore say 'etwas Watte' (some cotton wool) or 'ein Stück Watte' (a piece of cotton wool), but not 'eine Watte'.
Für die Wundreinigung brauchst du etwas Watte und Desinfektionsmittel.
For cleaning the wound, you need some cotton wool and disinfectant.
To name individual portions or forms of cotton wool, compound nouns are often used. The most common are 'der Wattebausch' (cotton ball), 'das Wattepad' (cotton pad), and 'das Wattestäbchen' (cotton swab).
Sie reinigt ihr Gesicht jeden Abend mit einem Wattepad.
She cleans her face every evening with a cotton pad.
The idiom 'jemanden in Watte packen' (to wrap someone in cotton wool) has a fixed structure. The person who is being overprotected is always in the accusative.
Man sollte seine Kinder lieben, aber sie nicht ständig in Watte packen.
You should love your children, but not constantly wrap them in cotton wool.
This idiom is almost always used critically. It expresses that excessive protection harms a person because it prevents them from having important experiences of their own.
Er wurde als Kind so sehr in Watte gepackt, dass er heute mit Problemen nicht umgehen kann.
As a child, he was wrapped in cotton wool so much that today he can't deal with problems.
cotton
Baumwolle refers here to the natural plant fiber as a raw material. Watte, by contrast, is a soft, fluffy product made from it or from a similar material, used, for example, to care for wounds. Baumwolle is appropriate for the starting material, while Watte is used for the processed form.
Zur Reinigung der Wunde verwendet die Pflegekraft weiche Watte.
The caregiver uses soft cotton wool to clean the wound.
Für die weichen Tupfer wird Baumwolle als Rohstoff verwendet.
Cotton is used as the raw material for the soft swabs.
