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floater

floater n. a who files down or smooths horse teeth; a tool used for such a task. Note: Directly related to the verb “to float,” meaning “to file the teeth of a horse.” The Oxford English Dictionary includes a 1886 citation supporting this specific sense of the verb, but the more meaning, “to render smooth or level,” is dated to at least as early as 1703. Another specific sense, “to level (the surface of plaster) with a ‘float,’” does tentatively support a connection between the horse “float” and the plaster “float,” as mentioned in the 1982 citation. (: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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