ER

(SOUND) [exclamation] - the sound that people frequently make when they pause in the middle of what they are saying or pause before they speak, often because they are deciding what to say"What time shall we meet this evening?" "Er, eightish, is that all right?""Is he handsome?" "Er, well - he's got a nice friendly sort of face though he's not exactly handsome." -er (PERFORMER), -or [suffix] - added to some verbs to form nouns which refer to people or things that do that particular activitya singer (= a person who sings)a swimmer (= a person who swims)a teacher (= a person who teaches)an office worker (= a person who works in an office)a hairdryer (= a machine that dries hair)a dishwasher (= a machine or person that washes dishes)an actor (= a person who acts)a navigator (= a person who shows the way)a prospector (= a person who searches for esp. gold) -er (SPECIALIST) [suffix] - added to the names of particular subjects to form nouns which refer to people who have knowledge about or are studying that subjecta philosopher (= a person who knows about/studies philosophy)an astronomer (= a person who knows about/studies astronomy)a geographer (= a person who knows about/studies geography) -er (FROM A PLACE) [suffix] - added to the names of particular places to form nouns referring to people who come from those placesa Londoner (= a person who comes from London)a northerner (= a person who comes from the north)the islanders (= the people who live on an island) -er (INVOLVED WITH) [suffix] - added to nouns or adjectives to form nouns referring to people who are connected or involved with that particular thinga pensioner (= a person who receives a pension)first graders (= children who are in the first grade of an American school) -er (CHARACTERISTICS) [suffix] - added to nouns to form nouns or adjectives referring to people or things which have those particular characteristicsa double-decker (= a bus with two decks)a big-spender (= someone who spends a lot of money)