dropper
/ˈdrɒpə
/noun
1A short glass tube with a rubber bulb at one end and a tiny hole at the other, for measuring out drops of medicine or other liquids: oils sold in bottles with a rubber-tipped dropper an eye dropper...
- When using liquid medication, use a calibrated dropper, medicine syringe or measuring spoon to insure that you are giving your child an accurate amount of medication.
- With a medicine dropper, drop 20 drops of water inside the circle.
- Small doses may need to be measured by a special dropper instead of a teaspoon.
2Australian /NZ & South African A light vertical stave in a fence, especially a lath used to separate the wires of a wire fence.Do you require non-electric droppers, barbed wire, iowa pattern, soft wire or high tensile?...
- The galvanised steel fence dropper is the most convenient and easy to use fence dropper.
3 Fishing A subsidiary line or loop of filament attached to a main line or leader: [as modifier]: a dropper line...
- My point fly is a heavy leaded nymph with a pheasant tail nymph on a dropper or tied in line some 12 inches above the heavy point fly.
- Put the bulk shot or an olivette about 18 inches from the hook and a dropper about 8 inches from the hook.
- One or two flies is normally quite sufficient for May loch style fishing and make sure droppers are well spaced so as to look unrelated.
Origin
Mid 17th century (in the sense 'a person who lets something drop'); sense 1 is first recorded in the late 19th century.