flattop en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From flat + top. Sense of “aircraft carrier” attributed to the message, “Scratch one flattop,” radioed during the Battle of the Coral Sea by LCDR Robert E. Dixon to the USS Lexington, whose commanding officer credited the pilot with coining the standard USN slang.
Meanings
-
(US) A short haircut in which the hair is brushed straight up then cut flat across the top.
Well school's not so bad but the summer's better Gives me more time to see my girl Walk through the park beneath the shiny moon Oh when we kiss she makes my flat top curl
1959 Jerry Keller, "Here Comes Summer" (lyrics)
- (US, informal) An aircraft carrier.
- A type of stringed instrument, most often an acoustic guitar, with a flat top (as opposed to an archtop), with strings held in place with pins, and with a complex system of bracing struts on the top.
- A grill with a flat cooking surface rather than metal bars.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flat top | alternative | lexicographic | |
| flattops | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| flat-top | alternative | lexicographic |
Synonyms
folk guitar (guitar with a flat top)