Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A rigid flat rectangular bar, as of wood or metal, with a straight edge for testing or drawing straight lines.
- adjective Having a level, even edge.
- adjective Abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A wooden board or metal strip, with an edge accurately planed, used in irrigation for laying out ditches in connection with a level or plumb-bob and in place of a surveyor's level.
- noun A bar having one edge, at least, as straight as possible, to be used as a fiducial line in drawing and testing straight lines.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A board, or piece of wood or metal, having one edge perfectly straight, -- used to ascertain whether a line is straight or a surface even, and for drawing straight lines.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Living one's life against/without the use of alcohol, smoking, and illegal drugs.
- noun A
tool which isflat ,rectangular and commonly made ofwood ,metal orplastic and is used todraw ,cut orcheck thestraightness ofstraight lines .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun hand tool consisting of a flat rigid rectangular bar (metal or wood) that can be used to draw straight lines (or test their straightness)
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Professionals use a long straightedge to detect them.
Ask the Builder: Hardwood floors best left to the professionals 2011
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The lines will not be perfectly straight, even if drawn with a "straightedge."
May 16th, 2009 m_francis 2009
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They would be impressed if you could trisect an angle using only a compass and straightedge.
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They would be impressed if you could trisect an angle using only a compass and straightedge.
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And watch out for those hardcore straightedge kids.
/Film Has Arrived at Sundance Film Festival 2010 | /Film 2010
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Hemmed in by its straightedge boundaries, shining moons and planets of dust would swirl and turn, or glide in, through, and out of the beam's dimensions like miniature ships.
I didn't know Nostradamus played in McNamara's band (Novel - excerpt) 2010
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Other architects did this, but typically relied on careful measurements, a compass and a straightedge to create a precise template for the stonemasons.
The Frugal Genius Cammy Brothers 2010
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The heptagon seven sides, for example, cannot be constructed with a compass and straightedge.
HERE’S LOOKING AT EUCLID Alex Bellos 2010
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Other architects did this, but typically relied on careful measurements, a compass and a straightedge to create a precise template for the stonemasons.
The Frugal Genius Cammy Brothers 2010
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Other architects did this, but typically relied on careful measurements, a compass and a straightedge to create a precise template for the stonemasons.
The Frugal Genius Cammy Brothers 2010
lampbane commented on the word straightedge
A person who doesn't drink or do drugs.
October 5, 2008