to feather
- verb
- /ˈfɛðər/
- Jargon
:
girar la pala
- Open the flaps, nudge back the throttle, adjust the rudder, turn some unknown knobs, touch down, feather the prop, and we had landed.
Examples
-
However, if you have a tailwind, you don't feather because the blaze then become your sails.
-
Eric, remember to feather your paddle.
-
The sun is flashing on his varnished oar blades as he feathers them.
Academic text (1997) -
Feathering the prop.
-
He showed him how and when to feather his oars out of water, and he showed him how to read the tides, the currents, and the wind and what it did to boats.
Fiction book (2000) -
Kunz, for one, wants wind farms to feather their blades, turning blade edges into the wind so they do not operate during periods of bat migration and low winds.
Academic text (2008) -
But in the end, his explanation would be rooted in the unfairness of being asked to behave better than the generations of white men who'd wielded the same authority he did and had used it to feather their nests.
Fiction book (1999) -
Greer feathers the tug into position and shuts down the turbines. EXT. ARCTIC WARRIOR - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Fiction book (2002) -
On multi-engine aircraft, this Hydromatic constant-speed propeller had the ability to "feather," stopping the propeller's rotation to keep the propeller from windmilling after an engine failure.
Academic text (2003) -
When rowing, it is important to feather the oar to minimize drag on the water.
Idioms
- Informal
1
8.3
Use a job or position to get money for yourself in a dishonest way
- Informal
People who share similar interests often spend time together
Phrasal Verbs
- Offensive
1
9.9
Cover someone with hot sticky tar and then feathers to punish and shame them publicly
Compounds
3
4.4
A long fluffy scarf made of feathers worn to look glamorous or to finish a costume
- Specialized
1
5.2
A long part of a bird's wing at the outer edge that helps the bird fly
- Offensive
1
9.5
A small white piece from a bird that people give to show someone is a coward
- Specialized
A feather that covers a bird's body and forms its smooth outer shape
- Specialized
A sea animal with many feathery arms that can swim and lives on the sea floor
A small plant with a pleasant smell, oak-shaped leaves, and groups of yellow-green flowers
- New Zealand
A New Zealand fern with divided leaves and very hairy stalks
Surface Forms
Etymology
To feather an oar means to turn the blade so it lies flat like a feather, cutting the wind less, and that image explains why rowers use the same word for this move.