The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick andflat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […].
Wag[ner]. Vilaine, call me MaiſterWagner, and let thy left eye be diametarily fixt vpon my right heele, withquaſi veſtigias nostras inſistere [as if to follow in our footsteps]. /Clo[wn]: God forgiue me, he ſpeakes Dutch fuſtian: / well, Ile folow him, Ile ſerue him, thatsflat.
SECOND WATCH. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John for accusing the Lady Hero wrongfully. DOGBERRY.Flat burglary as ever was committed
1602,John Marston,Antonio and Mellida, Malone Society Reprint, 1921, Act I, lines 324-326,[1]
He is made like a tilting staffe; and lookes
For all the world like an ore-rosted pigge:
A greatTobacco taker too, thatsflat.
(of a tire or other inflated object)Deflated, especially because of apuncture.
(grammar) Not having aninflectional ending or sign, such as anoun used as an adjective, or an adjective as an adverb, without the addition of aformative suffix; or aninfinitive without the sign "to".
Manyflat adverbs, as in 'run fast', 'buy cheap', etc. are from Old English.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat / Made the bus in secondsflat
(of a sentence) Without parole.
1989 February 5, Mary Shallhorn, “No Unity Among The Sisters”, inGay Community News, volume16, number29, page 5:
The recent case in Dallas where two gay males were killed by an 18 yr old straight kid is a perfect example of what gays in this state face. The kid got 30 yrs (he'll do 3 or 4 yrs and be paroled) yet I must do 12 yearsflat for a robbery in which no one was hurt.
Completely.
I amflat broke this month.
Directly; flatly.
[1633],George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar],The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire:[…] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green,[…],→OCLC:
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshoreflats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
(in the phrase 'the flat') Level ground in general.
I can run on theflat but not up hills.
The going will be easier once we're through these mountains and onto theflat.
(horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) Level horse-racing ground, as contrasted with courses incorporating jumps, or the racing done on such ground.
This horse will do better over theflat.
flat racing,theflat season
2020, Brian Sheerin,Racing Post, "Gordon Elliott maps out summer Flat campaigns for talented jumpers" (article)[2]
In light of Horse Racing Ireland's Covid-19 contingency plan announcement, that whenever racing resumes theFlat will be given priority, Elliott has decided to keep a number of talented jumpers on the go during the summer, with a view towards a dual-purpose campaign.
2021 (retrieved), racing365.com, "Flat Racing Explained"[3]
In British horse racing, the classics are a series of horse races run over theflat (i.e. without jumps).
(Australia,horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) the area in the centre of a racecourse.
1963,George Blaikie,Scandals of Australia's Strange Past, Adelaide: Rigby Limited, page117:
As forecast, Joe suspected nothing as he pottered round theflat in the sunshine, absorbed in the task of picking winners.
(music) A note played one chromaticsemitone lower than anatural, denoted by the symbol♭ placed after the letter representing the note (e.g., B♭) or in front of the note symbol (e.g. ♭♪).
The outboard bales in each tier should be placed on their edges so that theirflats will be presented to the sweat battens. This precaution is necessary to lessen the damage in case of chafage. If the bales chafe or become wet on theirflats, only one or two layers will be damaged.
(swordfighting) Theflat side of ablade, as opposed to the sharpedge.
(rail transport,US) A railroad car without a roof, and whose body is a platform without sides; a platform car orflatcar.
1960 November, David Morgan, “"Piggyback"—U.S. success story”, inTrains Illustrated, page684:
For example, when trailers containing new automobiles were first piggybacked two areas of potential damage became evident: (1) diesel locomotive exhaust left a film of oil on the new autos; and (2) auto windshields could be scarred or cracked by the metal-tipped "tell-tales" which warn men atop trains of oncoming bridges or tunnels. Accordingly, automobiles aboard piggybackflats are usually coupled into the train 15 or more cars behind the locomotive; and telltales have been raised.
1986,New York Magazine, volume19, number49, page20:
You might think that Americans buy roughly the same number of fitted sheets asflats. Or, considering the market for electric blankets, duvets, and other covers, that consumers buy even more bottom sheets, simply forgoing the tops.
(publishing) A flat, glossy children'sbook with few pages.
1970,The Publishers Weekly, volume197, page85:
This same publisher notes pricing is a crucial factor in the mass market field of $1, $1.95 and $2.95 "flats."
A platform on a wheel, upon which emblematic designs etc. are carried in processions.
(mining) A horizontal vein or ore deposit auxiliary to a main vein; also, any horizontal portion of a vein not elsewhere horizontal.[3]
(technical, theatre, stagecraft) Arectangular wooden structure covered withmasonite,lauan, ormuslin, often produced in standard modules, that is used to build wall surfaces on stage. Flats can be painted and outfitted with doors and/or windows to depict a building or other part of ascene, and are a hard-surfaced alternative to abackcloth orbackdrop.
(entomology) Any of varioushesperiid butterflies that spread their wings open when they land.
2019, Luigi Toiati,The History of Toy Soldiers, page78:
Among the many US museums hostingflats, we may mention the Toy Soldier Museum in the Pocono Mountains, supervised by the historian, collector and dealer J. Hillestad.
2005, Fred Cicetti,Local Angles: The Big News in Small Towns, page78:
He would slip in his six-aceflats, shaved dice that were made to bring up sevens. He'd throw them just long enough to get well, and then replace them with legitimate cubes.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
1611, Iohn Speed [i.e.,John Speed], “Stephen, the Two and Fortieth Monarch of the English-men: His Raigne, Acts, and Issue”, inThe History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans.[…], London:[…] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble,[…],→OCLC, book IX ([Englands Monarchs][…]), paragraph 13,page447, column 2:
And thus thoſe Forts vvhich vvere erected to defend the Crovvne, firſt offended the King, ſome fevv vvhereof as he recouered, heflatted to the ground, and vviſhed the other no higher vvalls; ſtill ſvvearingby Gods Birth (his vſuall Oath) hee vvould not ſlightly bee vnſeated of his Crovvne, and vvondring vvhat ſhould mooue them, vvho had ſo readilie aduanced him, ſo ſpeedily to vnſtate him.
1764, James Granger,The Sugar-Cane: a Poem. In Four Books. With Notes., M.D., Book 1, page 44, note to verse 605:
The pods, which seldom contain less than thirty nuts of the size of aflatted olive, grow upon the stem and principal branches.
(transitive,dated) To render dull, insipid, or spiritless; to depress.
a.1678 (date written),Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Danger and Mischief of Delaying Repentance”, inThe Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow.[…], volume(please specify |volume=I to VII), London:A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy,[…], published1830–1831,→OCLC:
1905, Sydney Perks,Residentialflats of all classes, including artisans' dwellings: a practical treatise on their planning and arrangement, together with chapters on their history, financial matters, etc.,with numerous illustrations,page204:
The excellence of Frenchflats is so well known in America, that the owner will often refer to his property as "first class Frenchflats."
1953 January 1, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, inMy Heart Belongs to Daddy[5], performed by Marilyn Monroe:
A kiss may be grand but it won’t pay the rental on your humbleflat or help you at the automat.
1955 November 3, “Guys and Dolls”, inGuys and Dolls (Original Broadway Cast Recording)[6], performed byStubby Kaye (as Nicely Nicely Johnson) andJohnny Silver (as Benny Southstreet):
[NICELY]When you meet a gent paying all kinds of rent for aflat that could flatten the Taj Mahal. [BOTH]Call it sad, call it funny but it’s better than even money that the guy’s only doing it for some doll.
1983, Tai Ching Ling, “Relocation and Population Planning: A Study of the Implications of Public Housing and Family Planning in Singapore”, in Wilfredo F. Arce, Gabriel C. Alvarez, editors,Population Change in Southeast Asia,page184:
Fifteen percent of this group said that they were not satisfied with the public housing estates and their HDB[Singapore Housing & Development Board]flats (see Tables 11 and 12 respectively).
2002, MIchael Ottley,Briefcase on Company Law,page76:
The Greater London Council formed the Estmanco company to manage a block of 60 council-ownedflats. The council entered into an agreement with the company to sell off theflats to owner-occupiers.
2014, Terry Gourvish,Dolphin Square: The History of a Unique Building,page75:
When the Dolphin Square'sflats were first offered to the public in 1936, the South Block was still under construction, and the North Block was a building site.
2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Bournemouth (circa 1880)”, inRAIL, number947, page60:
Of course, closure of the West station took away the hotel's raison d'être. In May 2012, the local newspaper reported that this historic hotel, by then rated the town's worst (exemplified by its final review: "Please avoid at all costs"), was to be converted into 31 first-time-buyer one-bedroomflats.
1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 2 Dated or archaic. 3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
