strapper

From strap +‎ -er, principally strap +‎ -er (agent noun suffix). The sense referring to a poorly producing milk cow (from strap +‎ -er) came from a dialectal sense of the verb strap as a troponym of milk: not even the most skilful milking action could coax enough milk from the udder.

• Rhymes: -æpə(ɹ)

strapper (plural strappers)

1. A large, strong, robust person (usually a man).
2. A person who works with straps, as on leather goods.
3. One who straps horses; now, specifically, someone employed to attend and groom racehorses.
   • 1835, The Veterinarian: A Monthly Journal of Veterinary Science:

     I was, however, but a very brief period employed as a strapper, as from the care and pains which I took in cleaning and watering the horses they soon mended in their jaded, worn-out appearance, for they were regularly fed, because I was regularly sober, a state, I have been informed, in which my predecessor was never in after mid-day.

   • 1855, John Stewart, The Stable Book:

     On large establishments a head-man superintends the strappers, and the general management of the horses.

   • 2011, Jan Wositzky, Me & Phar Lap: The Remarkable Life of Tommy Woodcock:

     A boy was called a strapper because when you cleaned and dressed a horse properly, you had a nice flat towel, and you used to hit them on all the muscles.

4. (archaic) A cow which yields a small amount of milk.

   Synonym: duffer

   • 1905, Lippincott's Monthly Magazine: A Popular Journal of General Literature:

     “Nabla, Nabla,” says he, “them was the true words of Father Luke's when he said them would lend him a strapper would be repaid twofold. Here comes our own strapper back to us in company with a brave lump of a bullockeen. Faith,” says he, “Father Luke, you're the man for my money, and if ever ye want a strapper again, just tip me the word, and I'll go bail ye'll not want one long; and if ye want two, why, I'll steal one for ye.”

5. (electronics) A wire that joins two light switches so that a light can be turned off or on from either switch.

• strapping

• trappers