flat
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
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2009
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© The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information)
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flat1
/ flat/
•
adj.
(flat·ter
, flat·test
)
1.
smooth and even; without marked lumps or indentations:
a flat wall
trim the surface of the cake to make it completely flat.
∎
(of land) without hills:
thirty-five acres of flat countryside.
∎
(of an expanse of water) calm and without waves.
∎
not sloping:
the flat roof of a garage.
∎
having a broad level surface but little height or depth; shallow:
a flat rectangular box
a flat cap.
∎
(of shoes) without heels or with very low heels.
∎ (of a woman) having small breasts.
2.
lacking interest or emotion; dull and lifeless:
“I'm sorry,” he said, in a flat voice
her drawings were flat and unimaginative.
∎
(of a person) without energy; dispirited:
his sense of intoxication wore off until he felt flat and weary.
∎
(of a market, prices, etc.) showing little activity; sluggish:
cash flow was flat at $214 million
flat sales in the drinks industry.
∎
(of a sparkling drink) having lost its effervescence:
flat champagne.
∎
(of something kept inflated, esp. a tire) having lost some or all of its air, typically because of a puncture:
you've got a flat tire.
∎
(of a color) uniform:
the dress was a deadly, flat shade of gray.
∎
(of a photographic print or negative) lacking contrast.
3.
(of a fee, wage, or price) the same in all cases, not varying with changed conditions or in particular cases:
a $30 flat fare. See also flat rate.
∎
(of a denial, contradiction, or refusal) completely definite and firm; absolute:
his statement was a flat denial that he had misbehaved.
4.
(of musical sound) below true or normal pitch.
∎ [in comb.]
(of a note) a semitone lower than a specified note:
the double basses' opening low E-flat
you never have to change key from B-flat major.
∎
(of a key) having a flat or flats in the signature.
5.
(Flat)
of or relating to flat racing:
the Flat season.
•
adv.
1.
in or to a horizontal position:
he was lying flat on his back
she had been knocked flat by the blast.
∎
lying in close juxtaposition, esp. against another surface:
his black curly hair was blown flat across his skull.
∎
so as to become smooth and even:
I hammered the metal flat.
2. inf.
completely; absolutely:
I'm turning you down flat |
she was going to be flat broke in a couple of days.
∎
after a phrase expressing a period of time to emphasize how quickly something can be done or has been done:
you can prepare a healthy meal in ten minutes flat.
3.
below the true or normal pitch of musical sound:
it wasn't a question of singing flat, but of simply singing the wrong notes.
•
n.
1. [in sing.]
the flat part of something:
she placed the flat of her hand over her glass.
2.
a flat object, in particular:
∎
(often flats)
an upright section of painted stage scenery mounted on a frame.
∎ inf.
a flat tire.
∎
a shallow container in which seedlings are grown and sold.
∎
(often flats)
a shoe with a very low heel or no heel.
∎
a railroad car with a flat floor and no sides or roof; a flatcar.
3. (usu. flats)
an area of low level ground, esp. near water:
the Utah salt flats. See also mudflat.
4.
a musical note lowered a semitone below natural pitch.
∎
the sign (♭) indicating this.
•
v.
(flat·ted, flat·ting) [tr.]
1.
[usu. as adj.] (flatted) Mus.
lower (a note) by a semitone:
“blue” harmony emphasizing the flatted third and seventh.
2. archaic
make flat; flatten:
flat the loaves down.
PHRASES:
fall flat
fail completely to produce the intended or expected effect:
his jokes fell flat.
fall flat on one's face
fall over forward.
∎ fig.
fail in an embarrassingly obvious way:
the president could fall flat on his face if the economy doesn't start improving soon.
(as) flat as a pancakesee pancake.
flat out
1.
as fast or as hard as possible:
the whole team is working flat out to satisfy demand |
[as adj.] (flat-out)
the album lacks the flat-out urgency of its predecessor.
2. inf.
without hesitation or reservation; unequivocally:
in those early days I'd just flat out vote against foreign aid |
[as adj.] (flat-out)
flat-out perjury.
3.
lying completely stretched out, esp. asleep or exhausted:
she was lying flat out on her pink bath towel.
that's flat inf.
used to indicate that one has reached a decision and will not be persuaded to change one's mind:
he won't go into a home and that's flat.DERIVATIVES:
flat·ness
n.
flat·tish
/ ˈflatish/ adj.
flat2
•
n.
British term for apartment.
DERIVATIVES:
flat·let
/ -lət/ n.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
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Thoughts on Canossa
Newspaper article from: Jerusalem Post; 6/4/1999; ; 700+ words
; ...Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's having "gone to Canossa." If that anonymous Shasnik had had...yet, whether or not properly used, the Canossa analogy does come to mind in times like...our own religion-state clashes, the Canossa affair was also marked by that familiar...
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Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder: on the way to Canossa?
Newspaper article from: Jerusalem Post; 9/27/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder: on the way to Canossa? Byline: DANIEL DAGAN Edition; Daily...composition: I have no intention of going to Canossa. Whether he likes it or not, Schroeder...Heinrich IV, who made a journey to Canossa in 1077, and spent three entire days...
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Gregor VII. Papst zwischen Canossa und Kirchenreform
Magazine article from: The Catholic Historical Review; 7/1/2004; ; 700+ words
; Gregor VII. Papst zwischen Canossa und Kirchenreform. By Uta-Renate Blumenthal. [Gestalten des...making the case that Gregory should be remembered for more than Canossa and his confrontations with kings and the emperor. Although billed...
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From Canossa to Annapolis
Newspaper article from: The Jerusalem Report; 1/7/2008; ; 700+ words
; From Canossa to Annapolis Since experience-hardened Israelis harbor minimal trust towards the Palestinians, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert...
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Walker's World: Germany's repentance.
News Wire article from: United Press International; 9/25/2002; 700+ words
; ...Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder went barefoot to Canossa Tuesday night, to bow the knee before...in his election campaign. But it was Canossa all the same, as Schroeder followed in...down, insisting, "We will not go to Canossa," the Italian castle where the Pope...
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WALKER'S WORLD: GERMANY'S REPENTANCE
News Wire article from: United Press International; 9/25/2002; 700+ words
; ...Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder went barefoot to Canossa Tuesday night, to bow the knee before...in his election campaign. But it was Canossa all the same, as Schroeder followed in...back down, insisting, We will not go to Canossa, the Italian castle where the Pope happened...
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Canossan fundraiser
Newspaper article from: The Malay Mail; 4/16/2007; ; 700+ words
; Dear Editor, MY alma mater, SMK Canossa Convent, Malacca, needs funds to repair...making something out of nothing, making Canossa Convent one of the best-kept and organised schools in Malacca. Two years ago, Canossa Convent celebrated its 100th anniversary...
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Arrest Order Is Issued For Colombian Official; Attorney General Linked to Drug Money
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 5/3/1996; 700+ words
; ...investigation as a sham. Rep. Francisco Canossa said the Accusations Commission, which...made little effort to uncover the truth. Canossa announced his surprise resignation in...lead nowhere." The resignation of Canossa, a member of the ruling Liberal Party...
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 "The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)")
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THE FBI SHOULD APOLOGIZE.(NEWS)(Editorial)
Newspaper article from: The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH); 11/1/1996; 598 words
; ...stood for three days in the snow outside Canossa Castle in Italy begging the pardon of...Richard Jewell, the FBI is a long way from Canossa. In recent days the Justice Department...The bureau could use a field office in Canossa.
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The countess who was a great pope's good friend.(BOOKS)
Newspaper article from: The Washington Times; 12/26/2004; 700+ words
; ...century Tuscan countess, Matilda of Canossa. Her grand marble tomb, carved by Gianlorenzo...and Extraordinary Times of Matilda of Canossa" is the fruit of her fascination, part...1077, it was at Matilda's castle in Canossa that the Henry IV came to stand barefoot...
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Canossa
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
Canossa , village, in Emilia-Romagna, N central Italy, in the Apennines. There...implications of this episode inspired Bismarck to coin the phrase "to go to Canossa" (i.e., to submit to the demands of the Roman Catholic Church) in...
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Matilda of Tuscany
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of World Biography
...Emperor Henry IV at her ancestral castle of Canossa in 1077. With independence and conviction...Lucca. Her father was Boniface II of Canossa; her mother was Boniface's second wife...their control over Italian lands. The Canossa were a family of the Lombard nobility...
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Gregory VII, St
Book article from: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
...from their oath of allegiance. Henry submitted to the Pope at Canossa in 1077, did penance, and was absolved from his censures...excommunicated Henry, who had not fulfilled the promises made at Canossa. Henry set up an antipope and took Rome in 1084. Gregory...
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Gregory VII, St (of Hildebrand)
Book article from: A Dictionary of World History
...Investiture contests. His most formidable opponent was the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. When in 1077 he submitted to the pope at CANOSSA papal supremacy seemed nearer. However, Henry's submission was merely a tactical one and he later attacked Rome itself...
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Michele Sanmicheli
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...examples of his highly refined style include the Church of the Madonna di Campagna near Verona, the Petrucci Chapel in the Church of San Domenico at Orvieto, the Palazzo Grimani in Venice, and the Canossa and Pompei palaces at Verona.
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