This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
bridging study
scholarship vs bursary (British English)
Mar 13, 2012 19:59
12 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

feathering arena floor

English Other Other
In a huge table of various kinds of work, exercise, etc. and the energy spent on each kind, one item reads:

'custodial work – feathering arena floor, moderate effort - 4 METs'

What would 'feathering arena floor' mean?

My target is Swedish, but I think I have a better chance of getting an explanation by asking it as English to English.
Responses
3 +1 applying material to concrete floor to even it before putting in other flooring
3 answer below
2 covering the floor with branches, or similar

Discussion

Stephanie Ezrol Mar 15, 2012:
I tried to track down the originial source. It seems to be the American College of Sports Medicine. I was directed to a person named Tracy Rush who is out of the office until Monday. You could try sending her an email at [email protected]. or calling 317 637-9200. The oldest document I found using this term is at http://ocw.um.es/cc.-de-la-salud/alimentacion-y-nutricion-ac...
Anne Pinaglia Mar 15, 2012:
now that I read that document, I feel like... ...they might just be referring to "sweeping". But I've never heard of feathering in that sense. Hmm...
Karin and Folke Nettelblad (Folia Textproduktion HB) (asker) Mar 14, 2012:
Context You can find the source document at http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium... (Almost anyway, mine doesn't have the first two columns, and the order of the remaining columns is different, but that shouldn't matter).
David Moore (X) Mar 14, 2012:
Does... either of the answers given relate to "custodial work" in any way? Where does this work fit into the picture? Can we perhaps have a little more introductory context, please?

Responses

+1
13 mins
Selected

applying material to concrete floor to even it before putting in other flooring

Feathering seems to be used with flooring as follows:

"LANKO 135 Feather Edge is a highly
polymer modified fast setting cementitious
feathering mortar, for use on
irregular/uneven concrete floors, prior to
the application of floor coverings, such as
tiles, carpet, vinyl etc."
http://www.davco.com.au/images/product/Lanko 135 Feather Edg...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 mins (2012-03-13 20:21:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The use of feathering to mean to even out a floor surface may be derived from this engineering definition given by Wiki:

(carpentry, engineering) To finely shave or bevel an edge.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/feather#Verb

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day20 hrs (2012-03-15 16:57:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The older source of this term seems to be:

http://ocw.um.es/cc.-de-la-salud/alimentacion-y-nutricion-ac...

that doesn't give you more of an answer but it does give you the source. It is in English.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charlesp
12 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to everyone for answers and disussion entries. If this had been for a research study or otherwise of great significance, I would have contacted Tracy Rush as Stephanie suggested, but actually, the table is only provided as a help for people wishing to lose weight (as an appendix to the result of a genetic test), so, having spent quite a lot of time on the other items in the table, we chose to use a rather vague term, meaning something like “making the floor level or smooth”. Anyway, thanks for your assistance, you were all very helpful, but I think that Stephanie made the greatest efforts. "
7 mins

answer below

I believe this is done when there is damage done to the floor and there are attempts to minimize its visibility by spreading/entending the "new" area out a little farther to make it blend in better and become less noticeable.

I'm not sure if that makes sense... it's a bit hard to explain!
Example sentence:

We can remove scratch damage and feather the floor to blend the finish without dipping the floor or counter.

Something went wrong...
17 hrs

covering the floor with branches, or similar

This really needs to confirmed by US residents, but according to M-W, one of the meanings of "to feather" (transitive) is "to cover, clothe or adorn with, as if with feathers".

Since this is an American document you are translating, I'd guess that this relates to the duties undertaken by the "custodian" of a sporting arena, maybe where equestrian events take place, covering the floor with protection - (s)he might be spreading granulated bark, or something similar. It might also refer to an ice-rink, where ice-dust is brushed off. Those are two of the more common uses of "arena" which spring to mind. Although the document does include trade occupations, I'm not at all happy with the idea of a custodian actually repairing the floor.

I'm not a US native speaker, hence the low CL.
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search