beater

beater

1. noun A car that is in poor condition, typically a very old one. You won't be able to drive that old beater forever, you know. A: "Dude, you're lucky that beater is still running." B: "I know, my mechanic tells me it would cost a fortune to fix up." Geez, you could hear that beater rumbling down the road from a mile away!
2. noun By extension, something that one uses because it is already in poor condition, so as to not damage or risk something newer or in better condition. I'm so afraid that my nice bike will get stolen that most of the time I just end up riding my beater. Hockey sticks are expensive, man! That's why I use this beater in practice. Mom, why do you insist on using that beater when I got you a brand-new one for Mother's Day?
3. adjective Describing something that one uses because it is already in poor condition, so as to not damage or risk something newer or in better condition. I'm so afraid that my nice bike will get stolen that most of the time I just end up riding my beater bike. My mom makes me use my beater phone because I've already cracked the screen on it multiple times. My parents were OK with me taking this old beater TV of theirs to college because they don't care if anything happens to it.

boy-beater

A tank top typically worn under other clothes. Also known as a "wife-beater." You can't go out in just a boy-beater—put something else on. One of our neighbors sits out on his front porch all day during the summer wearing nothing but a dirty boy-beater and a pair of boxer briefs. A: "Just talk to the guy!" B: "Come on, you know my type isn't 'random dude in a boy-beater that shows off all of his arm tats.' Sorry."

buzzer beater

sports A successful shot taken immediately before a buzzer sounds to signal the end of a period, quarter, game, etc. Thompson won the game with an incredible buzzer beater from the three-point line. We were so close to winning, until the other team threw up a buzzer beater and beat us by one point. Mason has always been clutch in big games, so I see him landing a buzzer beater in game seven.
See also: beater, buzzer

egg-beater

slang
1. A helicopter. A: "Do you hear that egg-beater?" B: "Yes, it must be from the local news station." It was pretty cool getting to see New York City from the inside of a egg-beater high in the sky. The cops will be sending egg-beaters to track us down, so we'll need to stay hidden in the trees.
2. A small motor on an outboard. Why isn't the boat moving? Is there something wrong with the egg-beater? Egg-beaters can become incredibly dangerous if someone falls overboard. If my dad can't get the egg-beater going, I'm afraid we won't be leaving the dock any time soon.

wife-beater

1. Literally, a person who physically assaults their wife. The world was shocked to learn that the hugely popular musician was a savage wife-beater.
2. slang By extension, a tank top typically worn under other clothes. Also known as a "boy-beater." You can't go out in just a wife-beater—put something else on over it. One of our neighbors sits out on his front porch all day during the summer wearing nothing but a dirty wife-beater and a pair of boxer briefs.

world-beater

Someone or something that is far superior to any other person or thing in a given category or area. The documentary traces the athlete's journey from an impoverished amateur to a superstar world-beater. While it is certainly an impressive machine, I think the very high cost and relative lack of worthwhile apps may prevent the public from seeing it as a real world-beater.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

beater

n. a junky old car. I like my old beater even if it has no bumpers.

boy-beater

n. a sleeveless shirt or undershirt allegedly for women or homosexuals. (From the wife-beater.) They sat there looking macho in their tints and boy-beater.

egg-beater

1. n. an outboard boat motor. My egg-beater has been acting up, so I didn’t go out on the lake today.
2. n. a helicopter. (see also rotorhead.) The egg-beater landed on the hospital roof.

wife-beater

n. a sleeveless undershirt. (see also boy-beater.) He always wears wife-beaters with no outer shirt.

world-beater

n. an aggressive and ambitious person. They hired an alleged world-beater to manage the office.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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