It is a common saying that water is a terrible lubricant. But, if you apply water to certain materials like glass, ice, soap, or tile, that surface becomes slippery when wet.
So what is the difference between a true lubricant, and something like water, which makes things slippery?
In: Chemistry
There isn’t really a difference. To “lubricate” something means to make it more slippery. So anything can act as a lubricant, as long as it performs that job.
The confusion is with your basic assumption: that water isn’t a lubricant. Water *can* make things slippery, where it does a good job as a lubricant. For other things it doesn’t do a good job. One common example is human skin. Our skin has a lot of oils in it, which is why you feel “greasy” if you haven’t taken a shower in a while. Water can remove these oils, making your skin *less* slippery.
That’s a pretty common problem with water, which is why it doesn’t always work well as a lubricant. Better lubricants, like fats and oils, don’t really interact with anything, and just fill in all the tiny nooks and crannies. This is what makes the surface smooth, or “slippery.”
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