Flatter

Flatter
Flat Flat (fl[a^]t), a. [Compar. {Flatter} (fl[a^]t"r[~e]r); superl. {Flattest} (fl[a^]t"t[e^]st).] [Akin to Icel. flatr, Sw. flat, Dan. flad, OHG. flaz, and AS. flet floor, G. fl["o]tz stratum, layer.] 1. Having an even and horizontal surface, or nearly so, without prominences or depressions; level without inclination; plane. [1913 Webster]

Though sun and moon Were in the flat sea sunk. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Lying at full length, or spread out, upon the ground; level with the ground or earth; prostrate; as, to lie flat on the ground; hence, fallen; laid low; ruined; destroyed. [1913 Webster]

What ruins kingdoms, and lays cities flat! --Milton. [1913 Webster]

I feel . . . my hopes all flat. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. (Fine Arts) Wanting relief; destitute of variety; without points of prominence and striking interest. [1913 Webster]

A large part of the work is, to me, very flat. --Coleridge. [1913 Webster]

4. Tasteless; stale; vapid; insipid; dead; as, fruit or drink flat to the taste. [1913 Webster]

5. Unanimated; dull; uninteresting; without point or spirit; monotonous; as, a flat speech or composition. [1913 Webster]

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

6. Lacking liveliness of commercial exchange and dealings; depressed; dull; as, the market is flat. [1913 Webster]

7. Clear; unmistakable; peremptory; absolute; positive; downright.

Syn: flat-out. [1913 Webster]

Flat burglary as ever was committed. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

A great tobacco taker too, -- that's flat. --Marston. [1913 Webster]

8. (Mus.) (a) Below the true pitch; hence, as applied to intervals, minor, or lower by a half step; as, a flat seventh; A flat. (b) Not sharp or shrill; not acute; as, a flat sound. [1913 Webster]

9. (Phonetics) Sonant; vocal; -- applied to any one of the sonant or vocal consonants, as distinguished from a nonsonant (or sharp) consonant. [1913 Webster]

10. (Golf) Having a head at a very obtuse angle to the shaft; -- said of a club. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

11. (Gram.) Not having an inflectional ending or sign, as a noun used as an adjective, or an adjective as an adverb, without the addition of a formative suffix, or an infinitive without the sign to. Many flat adverbs, as in run fast, buy cheap, are from AS. adverbs in -["e], the loss of this ending having made them like the adjectives. Some having forms in ly, such as exceeding, wonderful, true, are now archaic. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

12. (Hort.) Flattening at the ends; -- said of certain fruits. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{Flat arch}. (Arch.) See under {Arch}, n., 2. (b).

{Flat cap}, cap paper, not folded. See under {Paper}.

{Flat chasing}, in fine art metal working, a mode of ornamenting silverware, etc., producing figures by dots and lines made with a punching tool. --Knight.

{Flat chisel}, a sculptor's chisel for smoothing.

{Flat file}, a file wider than its thickness, and of rectangular section. See {File}.

{Flat nail}, a small, sharp-pointed, wrought nail, with a flat, thin head, larger than a tack. --Knight.

{Flat paper}, paper which has not been folded.

{Flat rail}, a railroad rail consisting of a simple flat bar spiked to a longitudinal sleeper.

{Flat rods} (Mining), horizontal or inclined connecting rods, for transmitting motion to pump rods at a distance. --Raymond.

{Flat rope}, a rope made by plaiting instead of twisting; gasket; sennit.

Note: Some flat hoisting ropes, as for mining shafts, are made by sewing together a number of ropes, making a wide, flat band. --Knight.

{Flat space}. (Geom.) See {Euclidian space}.

{Flat stitch}, the process of wood engraving. [Obs.] -- {Flat tint} (Painting), a coat of water color of one uniform shade.

{To fall flat} (Fig.), to produce no effect; to fail in the intended effect; as, his speech fell flat. [1913 Webster]

Of all who fell by saber or by shot, Not one fell half so flat as Walter Scott. --Lord Erskine. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • flatter — [ flate ] v. tr. <conjug. : 1> • XIIe; aussi flater, flatir « jeter à plat »; du frq. °flat « plat » I ♦ A ♦ (Sujet personne; compl. être animé) 1 ♦ Louer excessivement ou faussement (qqn), pour plaire, séduire. ⇒ aduler, encenser,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Flatter — Flat ter (fl[a^]t t[ e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Flattered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Flattering}.] [OE. flateren, cf. OD. flatteren; akin to G. flattern to flutter, Icel. fla[eth]ra to fawn, flatter: cf. F. flatter. Cf. {Flitter}, {Flutter}, {Flattery}.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flatter — Flat ter, v. i. To use flattery or insincere praise. [1913 Webster] If it may stand him more in stead to lie, Say and unsay, feign, flatter, or adjure. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flatter — (v.) early 13c., from O.Fr. flater to flatter (13c.), originally stroke with the hand, caress, from Frankish *flat palm, flat of the hand (see FLAT (Cf. flat) (adj.)). [O]ne of many onomatopoeic verbs beginning with fl and denoting unsteady or… …   Etymology dictionary

  • flatter — [v1] compliment excessively adulate, beslaver, blandish, bootlick*, brownnose*, build up*, butter up*, cajole, cater to, charm, con, court, fawn*, get next to*, glorify, grovel, humor, inveigle, jolly, lay it on thick*, massage, oil*, overpraise …   New thesaurus

  • flatter — ► VERB 1) praise or compliment insincerely, especially to further one s own interests. 2) (usu. be flattered) cause to feel honoured and pleased. 3) (flatter oneself) believe something favourable about oneself, especially something unfounded. 4)… …   English terms dictionary

  • flatter — flatter1 [flat′ər] vt. [ME flateren < OFr flater, to smooth, caress with flat hand < Frank * flat, akin to OHG flaz, FLAT1] 1. to praise too much, untruly, or insincerely, as in order to win favor 2. to try to please, or ingratiate oneself… …   English World dictionary

  • Flatter — Flat ter (fl[a^]t t[ e]r), n. 1. One who, or that which, makes flat or flattens. [1913 Webster] 2. (Metal Working) (a) A flat faced fulling hammer. (b) A drawplate with a narrow, rectangular orifice, for drawing flat strips, as watch springs, etc …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • flatter — index overestimate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Flatter — Flatter,die:dieF.machen:⇨wegschleichen(I) …   Das Wörterbuch der Synonyme

  • flatter — (fla té) v. a. 1°   Caresser par quelque attouchement (sens étymologique et primitif). Flatter un enfant. Flatter un cheval avec la main. Le chien flatte avec la queue. •   Puis, me flattant l épaule, il me fit librement L honneur que d approuver …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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