beater
beater — noun
- beatersingular
- beatersplural
1. A tool or machine part that spins or hits something over and over — used for mix
A tool or machine part that spins or hits something over and over — used for mixing eggs, cream, or batter in the kitchen, or for knocking dust out of carpets and rugs.
Léa used an electric beater to whip the cream for the birthday cake.
collocation: electric beater
Owen took the carpet beater outside and knocked the dust away.
The beater attachment on Rania's mixer broke while she was making pancake batter.
James wiped the metal beaters clean before putting the mixer back in the cupboard.
Trang picked up the rug beater and whacked the dusty mat hard.
- mixer
broader term for any machine that blends ingredients; a beater is specifically the rotating part or a hand tool
- whisk
a wire-loop tool, usually hand-operated; a beater has flat blades or paddles
- eggbeater
a hand-cranked device specifically for beating eggs; 'beater' alone covers a wider range of tools
用法筆記
Often appears in compound nouns: eggbeater, carpet beater, electric beater. The standalone form commonly refers to the detachable mixing attachment of an electric mixer.
2. Someone who strikes and hurts family members or others again and again, causing
Someone who strikes and hurts family members or others again and again, causing them harm. This meaning is almost always found inside a compound word like 'wife-beater' or 'child-beater'.
Liang finally reported her neighbour to the police as a known wife-beater.
compound: wife-beater
Tamar volunteered at a shelter for children rescued from homes with child-beaters.
compound: child-beater
The court labelled Samir's uncle a habitual wife-beater after hearing the evidence.
Rin helped a friend escape a marriage to a violent beater who harmed her.
用法筆記
Almost always appears in compound form (wife-beater, child-beater). Standalone use is rare and typically refers back to a previously mentioned compound.
常見錯誤
3. A person hired during a hunt to crash through bushes and undergrowth, startling
A person hired during a hunt to crash through bushes and undergrowth, startling wild creatures so they run into the open where hunters wait with guns.
Femi worked as a beater on a Scottish estate, driving grouse towards the hunters.
collocation: work as a beater
The head gamekeeper told the beaters to move slowly through the thick bushes.
Ishaan took a weekend job as a beater, flushing pheasants from the woodland.
Rania and two other beaters banged sticks together to startle the hidden pheasants.
Owen earned extra money each autumn working as a beater on the local estate.
- gamekeeper's assistant
more formal; a gamekeeper runs the whole hunt operation, while a beater does only the flushing
- driver
a more generic term used in hunting contexts across different countries
用法筆記
Specific to British hunting terminology. American English speakers may not be familiar with this meaning. Distinguish from sense 2: a game-driver beater is paid to flush out animals during organised hunts, not a person who commits violence.
4. A battered old car in terrible shape that keeps breaking down; a vehicle so worn
A battered old car in terrible shape that keeps breaking down; a vehicle so worn out it is barely worth driving.
Felipe bought a rusty beater for six hundred dollars at the weekend auction.
collocation: rusty beater
Tamar's first car was a beater that broke down every other week.
Léa finally sent her beater to the scrapyard after the engine seized up.
James laughed when his mates called his dented beater a 'future classic.'
The teenager saved all summer to replace his beater with a reliable second-hand car.
用法筆記
Informal; common in both British and American English. Distinguish from sense 1: this meaning refers to a worn-out car, not a kitchen tool.