trimmer

Meanings

1. comparative form of trim: more trim

1. One who trims, arranges, fits, or ornaments.
2. A device used to trim.
3. A member of the crew who trims the sails.
4. Someone who fluctuates between opposing factions, political parties etc., according to current interest, a flip-flopper.
5. A beam into which are framed the ends of headers in floor framing, as when a hole is to be left for stairs, or to avoid bringing joists near chimneys.
6. A person employed to rearrange the coal in the hold of a vessel, so that it fills the vessel without forming a conical blockage.
7. A device for storing coal in gradually increasing piles made by building up at the point of the cone or top of the prism.
8. A float bearing a baited hook and line, used in fishing for pike.
9. An adjustable electrical component.
10. One who or that which trims, or rebukes or reproves; a scold.
11. A fast, high-quality delivery by the bowler, especially one that results in a dismissal of a batter by removing the bails without hitting the stumps.

1. A surname.

Etymology

From trim + -er. Figurative sense of “person who changes views with prevailing opinions” from 1680s, from nautical sense of “adjust sails with the wind”.