▪ I. flatting, n.2 Austral. and N.Z.
Brit. /ˈflatɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈflædɪŋ/, Austral. /ˈflætɪŋ/, N.Z. /ˈflætɪŋ/
[‹ flat v.5 + -ing suffix1.]
The action or practice of living in a flat, esp. one shared with others.
| 1967 J. K. Baxter Coll. Poems (1980) 396 (title) A small ode on mixed flatting. 1968 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 15 Jan. 2/11 College fees look more expensive than flatting. In the long run there isn't much difference. 1984 H. Spurling Secrets of Woman's Heart ii. 63 When the lease..ran out..the two friends moved after weeks of..‘flatting’ to 5, Braemar Mansions, Cornwall Gardens. 2004 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 14 June c6 The course offers supervised flatting as a bridge from home or boarding to ‘real life’ flatting. |
▪ II. flatting, vbl. n.
(ˈflætɪŋ)
[f. flat v.2 + -ing1.]
1. a. The action or process of laying, pressing, or beating out flat; spec. the process of rolling metal into plates; also in Glass-making, the process of flattening a split glass cylinder.
| 1611 Cotgr., Emplatement, a flatting; a laying flat vnto; a making broad or flat. 1687 M. Taubman London's Tri. 6 In another apartment is..Flatting and Drawing of Gold..Wyre. 1799 G. Smith Laboratory I. 318 A flatting-mill, such as those employed in the flatting of gold. |
b. concr. A layer of mortar.
| 1829 J. Hodgson in J. Raine Mem. (1858) II. 161 The wall has been constructed in regular flattings, with layers of basaltic rumlar work between each flatting of the mortar. |
† 2. The process of becoming flat. Of wine: The process of becoming vapid or insipid.
| 1665 Hooke Microgr. 30 The flatting of the Surface in the middle is from the abatement of the waters pressure outwards. 1675 W. Charleton Two Disc. ii. 160 The Palling or Flatting of Wines. |
3. Music. The lowering (of a note) by one semitone. Also transf.
| 1674 Playford Skill Mus. i. ii. 10 These two B Cliffs..are usually put to several Notes in the middle of any song or Lesson for the Flatting or Sharping of Notes. 1895 N. Amer. Rev. July 11 When a person has a poor ear for words, the result is a literary flatting and sharping; you perceive what he is intending to say, but you also perceive that he doesn't say it. 1956 Jakobson & Halle in Saporta & Bastian Psycholinguistics (1961) 348/1 Secondary tonality features (flatting and/or sharping). |
4. Coal-mining. (See quots., and see flat n.3 4.)
| 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining, Flatting, drawing or leading coals underground with horses and lads. 1891 Labour Commission Gloss., Flatting..is the stacking of coal by boys at the flat. |
5. Gilding and Housepainting. The action of flat v.2 8. Also concr. The overlaid coat.
| 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 410 The Nottingham white-lead is the most esteemed for what is called flatting, or dead white. 1881 Young Every Man his own Mechanic §1582 The finishing coat is to be ‘flatting’. |
6. attrib. and Comb., as flatting furnace, flatting hammer, flatting hearth, flatting stone, flatting tool, (chiefly in Glass-making: see 1); flatting coat, flatting colour, flatting white (sense 5); flatting-mill, a mill for flattening, esp. one for rolling metal into sheets and forming the ribbon from which the planchets are cut in coining.
| 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts II. 402 The *flatting colour should be incorporated with a large quantity of spirits of turpentine. |
| 1810 James Milit. Dict., Flattoir, a *flatting hammer. |
| 1618 in Lord's Debates (Camd. 1870) 138 Twoe *flatting milnes. 1799 G. Smith Laboratory I. 318 A flatting-mill, such as silver-wire drawers use. 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. 406 In the operation of making it [milled lead], a laminating-roller is used, or a flatting-mill. 1891 Star 24 Oct. 4/6 Jeweller's flatting mills. |