beater
/ˈbiːtə
/noun
1A person who hits someone or something, typically on a habitual basis: he is not a drug addict, an alcoholic, or a woman beater...
- I've had to deal with violent grannies and aggressive alcoholics and girlfriend beaters.
- He must be gutted that he gets 9 months, and other criminals such as muggers, OAP beaters etc. get off with a suspended sentence or community work!
- Oh, wait, no-no, he was still a beater and a cheater and sired a daughter who's got issues.
1.1A person who beats metal in manufacturing: he started out as a metal beater in the sheet metal shop...
- After the war he was engaged for about nine years in mining and then entered the rolling-mill at Leechburg, where he was a beater for eight years.
- He was born early in the sixteenth century in Seville, where, according to Cervantes, he worked as a metal-beater.
- He stepped into a silver-beater's shop as the caravans passed.
2A person employed to raise game birds for shooting by striking at the ground cover: he had regularly worked as a beater on grouse shoots on Soyland Moor...
- As employing beaters for driven shoots is expensive, there has been a big rise in ‘walked-up’ shoots, when a small group of gunmen walk across land and drive their own birds up into the air.
- A detachment of young peasants had been designated as beaters.
- Professional beaters will be called in by Bradford Council to drive birds on to privately-owned adjoining moors where grouse shoots still take place.
3An implement or machine used for beating: beat two eggs in large bowl with a hand beater until fluffy...
- Once dry, it was again collected on drays, and back it went to the mill to be fed through a machine with wooden beaters, called a scutcher.
- Fire-fighting tools such as beaters and knapsack sprayers should be to hand and ready to use.
- Steady winds fanned the flames despite firefighters and National Park officials directing six hosereel jets on to the fire and beating out hotspots with rubber beaters.
4 informal A person or thing that overcomes or prevents something: a recession beater...
- The Kenyans tend to be globe beaters at distance running.
- Fortunately the rabid fans in Columbus have organized a summer doldrums beater called Cannonfest so remember that event and see you there!
- Strike beaters: the London mayor caught the Tube to work, condemning the industrial action on Twitter.
5North American informal An old or dilapidated vehicle: I bought a beater and drove that for a few years...
- I have a Lincoln LS that Claudia drives most of the time, and then I have an old beater Lumina van that I chase parts in.
- He drove 25 miles to Sioux Falls, where a family friend spotted the old beater and called the police.
- Got back in the car, started their car again, which is a bit of an old beater, and it backfired, apparently.
