down-pullern.

1583 T. Stocker tr. Tragicall Hist. Ciuile Warres Lowe Countries i. f. 29^v They also leuied a great number of men of war, that they might bee auenged of the downe pullers and breakers of theyr Images [Fr. pour ainsi se venger du brisement des images].

1854 Alton (Illinois) Weekly Courier 13 Jan. This lecture is certainly open to criticism, its author seeming to be considerable of a ‘trimmer,’ and a down-puller of organizations, the meanwhile offering no better substitutes.

1881 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 641/1 Apprehending that he [sc. Gladstone] will rank in history as the first down-puller of the British empire.

1900 Conservative (Nebraska City, Nebraska) 8 Nov. 1/3 The starch works will grow in Nebraska City. Up-builders have defeated the down-pullers; constructionists have vanquished destroyers.

1861 W. Martin How to rise in World 21 Industry, perseverance, punctuality, and truthfulness then are the great ‘up-lifters’; but there are ‘down-pullers’ we must avoid, or they will soon lay us sprawling in the mire.

1869 Broadway Mar. 138/2 Pleasures and luxury are the down-pullers of the feminine soul.

1917 Art World Oct. 11 Men may be divided into two classes, up-raisers and down-pullers, hero-worshipers and hobo-worshipers.

1998 M. Midgley in M. Kieran Media Ethics iv. 47 People who pull downwards, trying to lower the ideals, are not necessarily cynics... these down-pullers may be aiming at honesty.

1971 Leather Manufacturer Aug. 16/3 Hides removed from the carcass by a ‘downpuller’ could be subject to grain breaks.

2000 H. W. Ockerman & C. L. Hansen Animal By-product Processing & Utilization iv. 143 A pulling technique similar to the one used for cattle is often used for hogs, except the pigskins are usually pulled up; however, there is interest in a down-puller to improve sanitation.

2011 T. Pachirat Every Twelve Seconds iii. 69 Sometimes at the down puller the force of the clamp roller will be so extreme that the tendons of the hocks will break.