E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bat’tledore (3 syl.)
means, properly, a baton for washing linen by striking on it to knock out the dirt. The plan is still common in France. The word is the French battoir, a beater used by washerwomen; Portuguese, Batidor, Spanish, batidero, a wash-board.
