1. Plural of battledore; a small racket or paddle used in the game of battledore and shuttlecock.
Usage: historical; chiefly British
2. Plural of battledore; a wooden implement with a flat blade, historically used for beating clothes during washing.
Usage: archaic; domestic

Examples

• Children played with battledores and shuttlecocks in the garden.
• The museum displayed antique battledores used in Victorian times.
• She picked up the battledores to play the traditional game.
• Laundresses used wooden battledores to pound wet linens clean.
• The set included two battledores and a cork shuttlecock.