—v. (-pp-) 1 move or be moved up and down; beat.

- colloq. Be agitated or panicky.

- sway; flutter.

- (usu. Foll. By away, off) strike (flies etc.) With flat object; drive.

- colloq. (of ears) listen intently. —n. - piece of cloth, wood, etc. Attached by one side esp. To cover a gap, e.g. A pocket-cover, the folded part of an envelope, a table-leaf.

- motion of a wing, arm, etc.

- colloq. Agitation; panic (in a flap).

- aileron.

- light blow with something flat. flappy adj. [probably imitative]

foot n. Foot with a flattened arch.

- race n. Horse race without jumps, over level ground. flat racing n.

- rate n. Unvarying rate or charge.

- spin n. - aeron. A nearly horizontal spin.

- colloq. State of panic.

- —adj. (flatter, flattest) 1 a horizontally level. B even; smooth; unbroken. C level and shallow (flat cap).

- unqualified; downright (flat refusal).

- a dull; lifeless; monotonous (in a flat tone). B dejected.

- (of a fizzy drink) having lost its effervescence.

- (of an accumulator, battery, etc.) Having exhausted its charge.

- mus. A below true or normal pitch (violins are flat). B (of a key) having a flat or flats in the signature. C (as b, e, etc. Flat) semitone lower than b, e, etc.

- (of a tyre) punctured; deflated. —adv. - at full length; spread out (lay flat; flat against the wall).

- colloq. A completely, absolutely (flat broke). B exactly (in five minutes flat).

- mus. Below the true or normal pitch (sings flat). —n. - flat part or thing (flat of the hand).

- level ground, esp. A plain or swamp.

- mus. A note lowered a semitone below natural pitch. B sign indicating this.

- (as the flat) flat racing or its season.

- theatr. Flat scenery on a frame.

- esp. Us colloq. Flat tyre. flat out 1 at top speed.

- using all one's strength etc. That's flat colloq. That is definite. flatly adv. Flatness n. Flattish adj. [old norse]

- n. Set of rooms, usu. On one floor, as a residence. flatlet n. [obsolete flet floor, dwelling, from germanic: related to *flat1]

—n. - imperfection; blemish.

- crack, chip, etc.

- invalidating defect. —v. Crack; damage; spoil. flawless adj. Flawlessly adv. [old norse]

- n. Squall of wind. [low german or dutch]

n. - blue-flowered plant cultivated for its textile fibre and its seeds.

- flax fibres. [old english]

v. - strip the skin or hide off, esp. By beating.

- criticize severely.

- peel off (skin, bark, peel, etc.).

- extort money etc. From. [old english]

market n. Street market selling second-hand goods etc.

- n. Small wingless jumping parasitic insect. a flea in one's ear sharp reproof. [old english]

past and past part. Of *flee.

v. (past and past part. Fled) 1 (often foll. By from, before) a run away (from); leave abruptly (fled the room). B seek safety by fleeing.

- vanish. [old english]

past of *fly1.

v. - bend (a joint, limb, etc.) Or be bent.

- move (a muscle) or (of a muscle) be moved to bend a joint. [latin flecto flex- bend]

- n. Flexible insulated electric cable. [abbreviation of *flexible]