leathers

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of leather.

   The tannery produced leathers in a dozen rich colors.

   He polished his motorcycle leathers before the long ride.

   Note

   Here the usually uncountable material becomes countable, and the plural points to one of a few things. Tanners speak of leathers to mean kinds of the material. A polisher's leathers are the pieces used for buffing. A rider's leathers are the protective clothing worn on a motorcycle. The same spelling also serves the verb form, as in she leathers the ball.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of leather.

   The forward leathers every free kick with tremendous power.

   Each morning she leathers the punching bag during training.

   Note

   A verb that nearly always wants an object: an upholsterer leathers a chair, a striker leathers the ball, a parent of an older day leathers a child with a strap. Only the sense of forming a tough, leathery surface can stand without one. Applied to a ball or a punch, it is a more vivid choice than hits, and it carries the image of the belt behind it.

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