The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Polishing \Pol"ish*ing\,
   a. & n. from Polish.
   [1913 Webster]

   Polishing iron, an iron burnisher; esp., a small smoothing
      iron used in laundries.

   Polishing slate.
   (a) A gray or yellow slate, found in Bohemia and Auvergne,
       and used for polishing glass, marble, and metals.
   (b) A kind of hone or whetstone; hone slate.

   Polishing snake, a tool used in cleaning lithographic
      stones.

   Polishing wheel, a wheel or disk coated with, or composed
      of, abrading material, for polishing a surface.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Polish \Pol"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Polished; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Polishing.] [F. polir, L. polire. Cf. Polite, -ish]
   1. To make smooth and glossy, usually by friction; to
      burnish; to overspread with luster; as, to polish glass,
      marble, metals, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Hence, to refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or
      rusticity of; to make elegant and polite; as, to polish
      life or manners. --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   To polish off, to finish completely, as an adversary.
      [Slang] --W. H. Russell.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

polishing
    n 1: the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or
         waxing it; "the shining of shoes provided a meager living";
         "every Sunday he gave his car a good polishing" [syn:
         shining, polishing]