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breather

[bree-ther]

Origin

noun

a pause, as for breath.

vigorous exercise that causes heavy breathing.

a person who breathes.

a vent in a container or covering, as in a casing for machinery or in a storage tank, to equalize interior and exterior pressure, permit entry of air, escape of fumes, or the like.

a device for providing air from the atmosphere to submerged or otherwise sealed-off persons, internal-combustion engines, etc.: the snorkel breather of a submarine.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English brethere. See breathe, -er¹

Synonyms
1. rest, break, time-out, recess, intermission.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Breather is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

breather (ˈbriːðə)

—n
1.	informal a short pause for rest
2.	a person who breathes in a specified way: a deep breather
3.	a vent in a container to equalize internal and external pressure, such as the pipe in the crankcase of an internal-combustion engine
4.	a small opening in a room, container, cover, etc, supplying air for ventilation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

breather

c.1600, "a living creature, one who breathes," agent noun from breathe. Meaning "spell of exercise to stimulate breathing" is from 1836; that of "a rest to recover breath" is from 1901.

Slang Dictionary

breather definition

n.
a rest period; a lull. (A chance to catch one's breath.) : As soon as we've had a breather, it's back to work.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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"Vivian Rutledge: Speaking of horses, I like to play them myself. I like to see them work out a little first. See if they're front runners or come from behind.
Philip Marlowe: Find out mine?
Vivian Rutledge: I think so.
Philip Marlowe: Go ahead.
Vivian Rutledge: I'd say you don't like to be rated. You like to get in front, open up a lead, take a little breather in the back stretch, and, then, come home free.
Philip Marlowe: You don't like to be rated yourself.
Vivian Rutledge: I haven't met anyone yet that could do it. Any suggestions?
Philip Marlowe: I can't tell till I've seen you over a distance of ground. You've got a touch of class, but I don't know how ... how far you can go.
Vivian Rutledge: A lot depends on who's in the saddle."

-William Faulkner

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breather

breath·er

breather definition