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Flat vs Square - What's the difference?

flat | square |

In lang=en terms the difference between flat and square

is that flat is 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. ♭♪) while square is (conventional) Socially conventional; boring.

In obsolete terms the difference between flat and square

is that flat is a dull fellow; a simpleton while square is to go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.

In geometry terms the difference between flat and square

is that flat is a subset of n-dimensional space that is congruent to a Euclidean space of lower dimension while square is a polygon with four sides of equal length and four angles of 90 degrees; a regular quadrilateral whose angles are all 90 degrees.

As adjectives the difference between flat and square

is that flat is having no variations in height while square is shaped like a square (the polygon).

As nouns the difference between flat and square

is that flat is an area of level ground while square is a polygon with four sides of equal length and four angles of 90 degrees; a regular quadrilateral whose angles are all 90 degrees.

As verbs the difference between flat and square

is that flat is to make a flat call; to call without raising while square is to adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else.

As an adverb flat

is so as to be flat.

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 ----

    square

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four angles of 90 degrees; a regular quadrilateral whose angles are all 90 degrees.
  • * (rfdate)
  • I took refuge in the square form and exhibited a picture which consisted of nothing more than a black square on a white field.
  • An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
  • There are so many uses for the square , in fact, that a new model will usually come complete with a booklet enumerating its applications. - The Carpenter's Square
  • An open space in a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
  • * Addison
  • The statue of Alexander VII. stands in the large square of the town.
  • * (rfdate)
  • You're not in Wisconsin, Dave. The big story isn't about a cow wandering into the town square .
  • A cell in a grid.
  • You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.
  • (mathematics) The second power of a number, value, term or expression.
  • 64 is the square of 8.
  • (military) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
  • * Shakespeare
  • the brave squares of war
  • * 1990 , (Peter Hopkirk), The Great Game , Folio Society 2010, p. 144:
  • After disastrous attempts to break the Russian squares , during which, Longworth recounts, ‘the best and the bravest of the warriors fell victim to their own rashness’, the Circassians likewise changed their tactics.
  • (slang) A socially conventional person; typically associated with the 1950s
  • *
  • Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square !
  • (British) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
  • Enter your account number followed by a square .
  • (cricket) The central area of a cricket field, with one ore more pitches of which only one is used at a time.
  • An ideal playing area is roughly circular in shape with a central area, the cricket square , measuring 27.44 metres by 27.44 metres and boundaries 45.75 metres from the sides of the square.
  • (real estate jargon) A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, ie. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.
  • 2006: Just as the basic unit of real estate measurement across the world is the square ... — (Macquarie Bank) (Australia), press release Macquarie releases Real Estate Market Outlook 2006 - "The World Squared" , 21 June 2006 [http://www.macquarie.com.au/au/about_macquarie/media_centre/20060621.htm]
    2007: The house is very large and open and boasts 39 squares' of living space plus over 13 '''squares''' of decking area on 3 sides and 17 ' squares of garage and workshop downstairs. — Your Estate advertisement for Grindelwald Tasmania [http://www.yourestate.com.au/property_12753.php]
  • (roofing) A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m2) of roof area.
  • (North America) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
  • (academia) A mortarboard
  • (colloquial, US) A square meal.
  • ''Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.
  • A pane of glass.
  • (printing) A certain number of lines, forming a portion of a column, nearly square; used chiefly in reckoning the prices of advertisements in newspapers.
  • (archaic) Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
  • * Hooker
  • They of Galatia [were] much more out of square .
  • * Shakespeare
  • I have not kept my square .
  • The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
  • * Dryden
  • We live not on the square with such as these.
  • (astrology) The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
  • (dated) The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel.
  • The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • (lb) .
  • Synonyms

    * (polygon) (rare) tetragon * (L-shaped tool) steel square, framing square, carpenter's square * (open space) piazza, plaza * (socially conventional person) see * hash, sharp, (US) pound sign

    Derived terms

    * carpenter's square * chi-square * combination square * difference of two squares * four square * framing square * goal square * kid on the square * Latin square * machinist square * magic square * market square * mean square * miter square * on the square * optical square * over square * perfect square * public square * Punnett square * set square * square bashing * squareless * square one * square-pushing * square tab shingle * steel square * T-square * three-square * town square * try square * under square * word square

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Shaped like a (the polygon).
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
  • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=1 citation , passage=The huge square box, parquet-floored and high-ceilinged, had been arranged to display a suite of bedroom furniture designed and made in the halcyon days of the last quarter of the nineteenth century,
  • Forming a right angle, especially (nautical) at right angles with the mast or the keel, and parallel to the horizon; said of the yards of a square-rigged vessel when they are so braced.
  • a square corner
  • Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.
  • Honest; straightforward.
  • square dealing
  • Fair.
  • to make or leave the accounts square
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • (senseid)(slang) Socially conventional; boring.
  • (cricket) In line with the batsman's popping crease.
  • Correctly aligned with respect to something else.
  • hearty; vigorous
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • By Heaven, square eaters. More meat, I say.
  • Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.
  • a man of a square frame

    Synonyms

    * above board, on the level, on the square, on the up and up, straight * (socially conventional) bourgeois

    Derived terms

    (Terms derived from the adjective "square") * all square * be there or be square * fair and square * square bracket * square centimetre, square centimeter * square circle * square dancing * square deal * square drive * square flipper/squareflipper * square foot * squarehead * square inch * square leg * square knot * square matrix * square meal * square metre, square meter * square mile * square number * square pyramid * square rod * square root * square sail * square shooter * square-shouldered * square-toed * square wave * square yard * squarely * squareness * T-squared

    Verb

    (squar)
  • To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else.
  • The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared .
  • To resolve.
  • John can square this question up for us.
    These results just don't square .
  • To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
  • I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
    ''to square our actions by the opinions of others
  • * Milton
  • Square my trial / To my proportioned strength.
  • (mathematics) Of a value, term or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
  • To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a with the same area as.
  • square the circle
  • (soccer) To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 10 , author=David Ornstein , title=Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=First, former Toffee Mikel Arteta sent Walcott racing clear but instead of shooting he squared towards Ramsey, who was foiled by Tony Hibbert.}}
  • (archaic) To take opposing sides; to quarrel.
  • To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
  • * Cowper
  • No works shall find acceptance that square not truly with the Scripture plan.
  • (obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Are you such fools / To square for this?
  • To take a boxing attitude; often with up'' or ''off .
  • (Dickens)
  • To form with four sides and four right angles.
  • (Spenser)
  • To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
  • to square mason's work
  • To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • (astrology) To hold a quartile position respecting.
  • * Creech
  • the icy Goat and Crab that square the Scales
  • (nautical) To place at right angles with the keel.
  • to square the yards

    Derived terms

    (terms derived from the verb "square") * square away * square off * square up * square with * square the circle

    Synonyms

    * (to multiply by itself)

    See also

    * (wikipedia "square") * cubic * quadrilateral * rectangle * rhombus 1000 English basic words ----