different between drifter vs rifter

English

Etymology

From drift +? -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d??ft?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d??ft?/

Noun

drifter (plural drifters)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A person who moves from place to place or job to job.
2. (nautical) A type of lightweight sail used in light winds like a spinnaker.
   • 1995, Ken Textor, The New Book of Sail Trim (page 85)

     In winds above 10 knots we usually run wing-and-wing with our 100 percent lapper set on a whisker pole opposite the mainsail. As the wind drops, we get out the drifter and set it flying to leeward (Fig. 1).

   • 1999, Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey, Cost Conscious Cruiser: Champagne Cruising on a Beer Budget

     After trying a variety of light-wind sails, we've found the most versatile and simple one to be a nylon drifter.

   • 2000, Jim Howard, Charles J. Doane, Handbook of Offshore Cruising (page 178)

     Some people recommend a medium- to lightweight 140- or 150-percent headsail, and others go for a drifter/reacher.

3. (automotive) A driver who uses driving techniques to modify vehicle traction to cause a vehicle to slide or power slide rather than drive in line with the tires.
   • 2006, Paul Morton, How to Drift: The Art of Oversteer (page 32)

     However, sensing the available traction may actually be more important to a drifter.

   • 2007, Calvin Wan, Calvin Wan's Drifting Performance Handbook (page 132)

     For professional drifters looking for even more fine-tuning of their suspension setups, some companies offer more advanced two-way adjustable shocks […]

   • 2009, Michael Bender, The Fast, the Fraudulent and the Fatal (page 50)

     While this method is used by a few drifters in rear-wheel drive cars, this technique is really the only way one can drift in a front-wheel drive car.

4. (fishing) One who takes part in drift fishing.
5. (fishing) A boat used for drift fishing.
6. (parachuting) A parachutist who jumps before the rest of the group to determine wind direction.
   • 1948, Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News (volume 75, page 557)

     As we circled the area, the Dakota appeared and dropped a drifter.

   • 1962, Queen's Medical Magazine (volumes 54-55, page 31)

     […] a circling Beverley dropped parachutists in small groups — a few hard words were said about R.A.F. organisation. The time came at last for the first four to get into the balloon car. First out was a drifter — an experienced parachutist who jumps first to assess conditions by allowing himself to drift at random.

7. (mining, historical) A person employed in driving in rock other than coal.

Related terms

• drift fishing
• drift net

Translations

Further reading

• drifter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Drift netting on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Swedish

Noun

drifter

1. indefinite plural of drift

English

Noun

rifter (plural rifters)

1. (obsolete) A rafter.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Holland to this entry?)

Anagrams

• terrif

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

rifter m or f

1. indefinite plural of rift

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

rifter f

1. indefinite plural of rift