/ · 1894 Brewer’s · F · Feather One’s Oar (To)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
To feather an oar is to turn the blade parallel with the surface of the water as the hands are moved forward for a fresh stroke. (The Greek pteron means both “an oar” and “a feather;” and the verb pteroŏ, to “furnish with oars” or “with feathers.”) The oar throws off the water in a feathery spray.
“He feathered his oars with such skill and dexterity.”
Jolly Young Waterman.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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