▪ I. oater Chiefly U.S.
(ˈəʊtə(r))
= horse opera.
| 1951 Green & Laurie Show Biz 570/1 Oater, Western film. 1961 A. Berkman Singers' Gloss. Show Business 64 Oater, Western film. 1969 M. Pei Words in Sheep's Clothing (1970) iii. 22 ‘Western’..along with its synonyms, ‘horse opera’, ‘oater’. 1975 Radio Times 10 Jan. 10/1 Borden (Red River) Chase wrote this expansive oater [sc. Lone Star] for Clark Gable. |
▪ II. oater
obs. form of otter.