beater en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈbiːtə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈbitɚ/ (General-American)
- [ˈbiɾɚ] (General-American)
Etymology
From Middle English beter, betere, bettere, from Old English bēatere (“a beater; boxer, fighter; champion”), equivalent to beat + -er. Related to beetle (“a type of mallet”).
Meanings
-
Someone or something that beats.
His batwings were somehow more frightening for being the pathetic broken floundering things they were than if they had been strong, muscular beaters of the air.
1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 94:
- A kitchen implement for mixing.
- An implement used to strike certain percussion instruments.
-
A person who drives game towards shooters in a hunting party, typically working in a group with other beaters.
The beaters halted in a group to watch, and some of them could not refrain from clicking their tongues; they thought it queer and rather shocking to see a woman handle a gun.
1934, George Orwell, chapter 14, in Burmese Days:"Our beaters are doing a marvellous job, just listen to them, will you?"
1936, F.J. Thwaites, chapter XV, in The Redemption, Sydney: H. John Edwards, published 1940, page 158:
- A papermaking machine for processing fibres by fibrillation in order to improve bonding strength
-
(US, informal) An old or dilapidated automobile.
Packed merrily into my friends’ beater, an old Ford Pinto, we headed into Jennings, a mostly Black North St. Louis County community heavily patrolled by white officers, to pick up one more college friend.
2020 July 14, Ron Stodghill, “Black Behind the Wheel”, in New York Times:
- A weaving tool designed to push the weft yarn securely into place. It contains the comb-like insert reed and is sometimes a part of the loom.
- In the sport Quidditch or Muggle quidditch, a player a who attempts to hit the opposing team's players with bludgers and to block the bludgers from hitting their own team's players.
- (Canada) A harp seal pup after its first moult and before its second moult.
-
(informal) A shoe suitable for everyday wear, during which it may get dirty or scuffed, as opposed to more valuable shoes that one wishes to keep in good condition.
Beaters generally don't sell for much, unless they're a particularly legendary model, and they’re generally sold without the original box or extra laces. Unlike most "worn" sneakers that have been kept as close to perfect as possible, beaters tend to be the shoes used for rainy days and in the gym.
2015 July 22, Josh Chesler, “10 Sneaker Terms You Need to Know When Getting Into Kicks”, in Pheonix New Times:5 low-key footwear brands making the trusty summer beater feel exciting again.
2022 July 25, Jake Woolf, “Your Next Pair of Canvas Sneakers Should Come With a Serious Dose of Indie Cred”, in GQ:What constitutes a beater varies from person to person — some might consider affordable sneakers like the Vans Sk8-Hi or a pair of Nike Air Force 1s a pair worth beating to death, while other sneakerheads might discover that one of their favorite "hyped" sneakers just naturally becomes a beater over time.
2018 September 11, Fabian Gorsler, “Industry Insiders Reveal Their Favorite Beater Sneakers”, in Highsnobiety:
- (informal) A durable and usually inexpensive wristwatch.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| beaters | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
carpet-beater · buzzer beater · goldbeater · fire beater · drumbeater · wife beater · dust beater · wife-beater · gold-beater · rug beater · daily beater · rotary beater · carpet beater · dew-beater · silverbeater · farebeater · Hollander beater · bare beater · buzzer-beater · world-beater · eggbeater · panel beater · egg beater · beater-upper · Bible beater · beaterman
Synonyms
bucket of bolts · shitbox · jalopy · beater · rustbucket · hooptie · banger · shed · shitbucket · lemon · rattletrap · shitbox · bucket · old banger · bucket of rust · gas guzzler · wreck · crate · crock · banger · hooptie · shitcan · shitpot · jalopy · flivver · junker · rustbucket · wreck · tin Lizzie · clunker · crock
Translations (55)
pl bidło (part of a loom) · fr batteur (stick to play a percussion instrument) · ru развалю́ха (an automobile in poor operating condition) · es batidor (a kitchen implement for mixing) · mi kurutangi (a kitchen implement for mixing) · de Schlägel (stick to play a percussion instrument) · bg ватал (part of a loom) · bg вътел (part of a loom) · cmn 攪拌器 /搅拌器 (a kitchen implement for mixing) · pt batedor (a kitchen implement for mixing) · nl drijver (person who drives game towards the shooters) · fi vispilä (a kitchen implement for mixing) · pl naganiacz (person who drives game towards the shooters) · de Stock (stick to play a percussion instrument) · hy տափանահար (a kitchen implement for mixing) · bg бъркалка (a kitchen implement for mixing) · ru колоту́шка (a kitchen implement for mixing) · ru заго́нщик (person who drives game towards the shooters) · ka მცემელი (a kitchen implement for mixing) · nl trommelstok (stick to play a percussion instrument) · ka გამლახველი (a kitchen implement for mixing) · bg ватъл (part of a loom) · uk збива́лка (a kitchen implement for mixing) · ru па́лочка (stick to play a percussion instrument) · pt lata-velha (an automobile in poor operating condition) · ka მომრეკი (person who drives game towards the shooters) · de Stick (stick to play a percussion instrument) · de Schneebesen (a kitchen implement for mixing) · is þeytari (a kitchen implement for mixing) · uz savagʻich (person who drives game towards the shooters) · nl klopper (a kitchen implement for mixing) · pt calhambeque (an automobile in poor operating condition) · uz savagʻich (a kitchen implement for mixing) · es batidora (a kitchen implement for mixing) · fr rabatteur (person who drives game towards the shooters) · es montero (person who drives game towards the shooters) · nv chidíchxǫ́ʼí (an automobile in poor operating condition) · de Treiber (person who drives game towards the shooters) · uz savachoʻp (stick to play a percussion instrument) · fi ajomies (person who drives game towards the shooters) · eo aŭtaĉo (an automobile in poor operating condition) · pt batedeira (a kitchen implement for mixing) · uk колоті́вка (a kitchen implement for mixing) · fr bazou (an automobile in poor operating condition) · de Quirl (a kitchen implement for mixing) · bg вътъл (part of a loom) · nl wrak (an automobile in poor operating condition) · fi autonrämä (an automobile in poor operating condition) · gl baqueta (stick to play a percussion instrument) · fr baguette de tambour (stick to play a percussion instrument) · ru взбива́лка (a kitchen implement for mixing) · ru уда́рная па́лочка (stick to play a percussion instrument) · cmn 攪打器 /搅打器 (a kitchen implement for mixing) · bg палка (stick to play a percussion instrument) · pt batedor (person who drives game towards the shooters)