Reef vs Flat - What's the difference?

As adjectives the difference between reef and flat

is that reef is scabby; scurvy while flat is having no variations in height.

As nouns the difference between reef and flat

is that reef is the itch; any eruptive skin disorder while flat is an area of level ground.

As verbs the difference between reef and flat

is that reef is to take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind while flat is to make a flat call; to call without raising.

As an adverb flat is

so as to be flat.

reef

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) ref, hreof, from (etyl) . Compare (l), (l).

Alternative forms

* (l), (l) (Scotland)

Adjective

(en-adj)

Scabby; scurvy.

Noun

(en noun)

The itch; any eruptive skin disorder.

Dandruff.

Etymology 2

From earlier riff, from (etyl) rif, from (etyl) . More at (l).

Alternative forms

* (l) (obsolete)

Noun

(wikipedia reef) (en noun)

A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.

(Australia, South Africa) A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.

(nautical) A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.

A reef knot.

Derived terms

* coral reef * close reef * reef band * reef knot * reef line * reef points * reef rash * reef tackle * take a reef in

Verb

(nautical) To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.

* 1970' July–December, Margaret Quilty, ''Roller '''Reefing Made Easy'', '' , page 63,

Be sure the blocks are securely mounted—they carry a fairish load when the sail is reefed .

If both reefing line and main halyard are led to the cockpit, even singlehanded reefing is a breeze.

* 1995 , David Seidman, The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing , page 104,

Mains are made smaller by reefing . This can be done by rolling up the sail around the boom, or by the more traditional method of tying down a panel along the foot.

* 2004 , Charlie Wing, How Boat Things Work , page 108,

The reefing system for a mainsail must be designed to operate efficiently under adverse conditions and to provide proper sail shape when reefed .

(Australian) To pull or yank strongly.

* 1986 , Jan Wositzky, Me and Phar Lap: The Remarkable Life of Tommy Woodcock , 2011, page 49,

And when the Cup came on he stirred them up ?round the barrier and he flew out of the barrier and he pulled and reefed' and pulled and ' reefed and Lewis didn?t let him settle down until about three furlongs from home and when he did settle the horse was all out of stride and he went back through the field a fair bit.

* 1994 , Herb Wharton, Cattle Camp: Murrie Drovers and Their Stories , 2010, page 73,

Alf told me that one young white stockman, eager to impress the girls, went outside and mounted his horse, then began showing off his prowess, racing past the pub, wheeling and reefing his horse up and down the street, yackeyeing and whooping, flogging his horse with a battered old hat and always turning towards the pub to see if the girls were watching these feats of horsemanship.

* 2007 , Marion Houldsworth, Maybe It?ll Rain Tomorrow , 2012, page 104,

head stockman would say ‘Cut one out but take him at a walk.? And if you could get that beast out without reefing your horse around, the head stockman – he?d be a pretty cluey old coot - he?s watching that horse?s ears more than what you were doing.

(nautical, of paddles) To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.

Reef the paddles.

Anagrams

* fere * free

flat

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) flat, from (etyl) Flat] in (Online Etymology Dictionary) flatr (Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from (etyl) [http://ordnet.dk/ods/opslag?opslag=flad&submit=S%F8g Sanskrit, OHG and Greek cognates named.

Alternative forms

* , (l) (obsolete)

Adjective

(flatter)

Having no variations in height.

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=17 citation , passage=The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […].}}

(of a tire or other inflated object) Deflated, especially because of a puncture.

(music, note) Lowered by one semitone.

(music) Of a note or voice, lower in pitch than it should be.

(music, voice) Without variations in pitch.

Of a carbonated drink, with all or most of its carbon dioxide having come out of solution so that the drink no longer fizzes or contains any bubbles.

Uninteresting.

* Coleridge

A large part of the work is, to me, very flat .

* Shakespeare

How weary, stale, flat , and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world.

(wine) Lacking acidity without being sweet.

Absolute.

(slang) Describing certain features, usually the breasts and/or buttocks, that are extremely small or not visible at all.

(of a battery) Unable to emit power; dead.

(juggling, of a throw) Without spin; spinless.

Lacking liveliness of commercial exchange and dealings; depressed; dull.

The market is flat .

(phonetics, dated, of a consonant) sonant; vocal, as distinguished from a sharp (non-sonant) consonant

(obsolete) Clear; unmistakable; peremptory; absolute; positive; downright.

* Shakespeare

flat burglary as ever was committed

* Marston

A great tobacco taker too, — that's flat .

Synonyms

* (having no variations in altitude) even, planar, plane, smooth, uniform * (deflated) deflated, punctured * (without variations in pitch) monotone * (uninteresting) boring, dull, uninteresting * flabby

Antonyms

* (having no variations in altitude) bumpy, cratered, hilly (of terrain), rough (of a surface), wrinkled (of a surface) * sharp * sharp

Derived terms

* flat as a pancake * flatcar * flat-footed * flatly * flatness * flat out * flat rate * flatten * that's flat

Adverb

(en adverb)

So as to be flat.

Spread the tablecloth flat over the table.

Bluntly.

I asked him if he wanted to marry me and he turned me down flat .

Not exceeding.

He can run a mile in four minutes flat .

Completely.

I am flat broke this month.

Directly; flatly.

* Herbert

Sin is flat opposite to the Almighty.

(finance, slang) Without allowance for accrued interest.

Synonyms

* (so as to be flat) * (bluntly) bluntly, curtly * (not exceeding) tops * (completely) absolutely, completely, utterly

Noun

(en noun)

An area of level ground.

* Francis Bacon

Envy is as the sunbeams that beat hotter upon a bank, or steep rising ground, than upon a flat .

* , chapter=3

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats . 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.}}

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

(informal, automotive) A flat tyre/tire.

* 2012 , July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track

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

(in the plural) A type of ladies' shoes with very low heels.

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

The part of something:

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

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

A wide, shallow container.

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

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

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

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

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.

(Raymond)

(obsolete) A dull fellow; a simpleton.

* Holmes

Or if you cannnot make a speech, / Because you are a flat .

(technical theatre) A rectangular wooden structure covered with masonite, lauan or muslin that can be raised as a platform.

Antonyms

* (note) sharp * (shoes) high heels

Derived terms

* mudflat

Verb

(poker slang) To make a flat call; to call without .

To become flat or flattened; to sink or fall to an even surface.

(intransitive, music, colloquial) To fall from the pitch.

(music) To depress in tone, as a musical note; especially, to lower in pitch by half a tone.

(dated) To make flat; to flatten; to level.

(dated) To render dull, insipid, or spiritless; to depress.

* Barrow

Passions are allayed, appetites are flatted .

Etymology 2

From 1795, alteration of (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)

(archaic, New England, now chiefly British) An apartment.

Synonyms

* (apartment) apartment

Derived terms

* block of flats * flatlet * flatmate * flatter

References

Anagrams

* 1000 English basic words ----