English Dictionary

flat

/flæt/

noun

(in the phrase 'the flat') Level ground in general.

I live in a spacious flat.

意味（1）

(in the phrase 'the flat') Level ground in general.

I can run on the flat but not up hills.

意味（2）

(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 the flat.

意味（3）

(Australia, horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) the area in the centre of a racecourse.

As forecast, Joe suspected nothing as he pottered round the flat in the sunshine, absorbed in the task of picking winners.

意味（4）

(music) A note played a semitone lower than a natural, denoted by the symbol ♭ placed after the letter representing the note (e.g., B♭) or in front of the note symbol (e.g. ♭♪).

The key of E♭ has three flats.

意味（5）

(informal, automotive) A flat tyre/flat tire.

The next one surrendered his bike, only for that, too, to give him a second flat as he started the descent.

意味（6）

(in the plural) A type of ladies' shoe with a very low heel.

She liked to walk in her flats more than in her high heels.

意味（7）

(in the plural) A type of flat-soled running shoe without spikes.

意味（8）

(painting) A thin, broad brush used in oil and watercolour painting.

意味（9）

(swordfighting) The flat side of a blade, as opposed to the sharp edge.

意味（10）

The palm of the hand, with the adjacent part of the fingers.

意味（11）

A wide, shallow container or pallet.

a flat of strawberries

意味（12）

(mail) A large mail piece measuring at least 8 1/2 by 11 inches, such as catalogs, magazines, and unfolded paper enclosed in large envelopes.

意味（13）

(rail transport, US) A railroad car without a roof, and whose body is a platform without sides; a platform car or flatcar.

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 piggyback flats are usually coupled into the train 15 or more cars behind the locomotive; and telltales have been raised.

意味（14）

A flat-bottomed boat, without keel, and of small draught.

意味（15）

(geometry) A subset of n-dimensional space that is congruent to a Euclidean space of lower dimension.

意味（16）

A straw hat, broad-brimmed and low-crowned.

意味（17）

A flat sheet for use on a bed.

You might think that Americans buy roughly the same number of fitted sheets as flats. Or, considering the market for electric blankets, duvets, and other covers, that consumers buy even more bottom sheets, simply forgoing the tops.

意味（18）

(publishing) A flat, glossy children's book with few pages.

This same publisher notes pricing is a crucial factor in the mass market field of $1, $1.95 and $2.95 flats.

意味（19）

A platform on a wheel, upon which emblematic designs etc. are carried in processions.

意味（20）

(mining) A horizontal vein or ore deposit auxiliary to a main vein; also, any horizontal portion of a vein not elsewhere horizontal.

意味（21）

(technical, theatre, stagecraft) A rectangular wooden structure covered with masonite, lauan, or muslin, 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 a scene. It's a hard-surfaced alternative to a backcloth orbackdrop.

意味（22）

(entomology) Any of various hesperiid butterflies that spread their wings open when they land.

意味（23）

(historical) An early kind of toy soldier having a flat design.

Among the many US museums hosting flats, we may mention the Toy Soldier Museum in the Pocono Mountains, supervised by the historian, collector and dealer J. Hillestad.

意味（24）

(obsolete) A dull fellow; a simpleton.

... if you cannot make a speech,

Because you are a flat,

Go very quietly and drop

... if you cannot make a speech, Because you are a flat, Go very quietly and drop A button in the hat!

意味（25）

Short for flat ride (“spinning amusement ride”).

意味（26）

(optics) A flat (i.e. plane) mirror

When sampling the aperture of a telescope, using auto-collimating flats (ACFs) is more economical

意味（27）

(gambling, slang) A cheater's die with the edges shaved to make certain rolls more likely.

He would slip in his six-ace flats, 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.