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flathead

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flat⋅head

[flat-hed]
–noun, plural (especially collectively) -head, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -heads.
any of several scorpaenoid fishes of the family Platycephalidae, chiefly inhabiting waters of the Indo-Pacific region and used for food.

Origin:
1825–35; flat 1 + head

Flat⋅head

[flat-hed]
–noun
a river in SE British Columbia and NW Montana, flowing S to Flathead Lake and S and W to the Clark Fork River. 240 mi. (385 km) long.

Flat⋅head

[flat-hed]
–noun
1. a member of a tribe of Salishan Indians of northwest Montana.
2. a Chinook Indian.

Origin:
1530–40; so called from their supposed practice of flattening their children's heads
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To flathead
Flat·head   (flāt'hěd')   
n.   pl. Flathead or Flat·heads
    1. A Native American people inhabiting western Montana and northern Idaho, now located principally on Flathead Lake.

    2. A member of this people.

    3. The Salishan language of the Flathead.

  1. See Interior Salish.


[Translation of French Têtes-Plates, flat heads, translation of a name used by neighboring tribes (from the fact that the Flathead did not ornamentally taper the skull as neighboring peoples did).]
In·te·ri·or Salish   (ĭn-tîr'ē-ər)   
n.  A group of Salish-speaking Native American peoples inhabiting parts of British Columbia, northern Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Also called Flathead.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
flathead

  1. n.
    a stupid person. : Carl, don't act like such a flathead.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Encyclopedia

flathead

any of the flattened marine fish of the family Platycephalidae (order Scorpaeniformes), found in the Indo-Pacific and in tropical regions of the eastern Atlantic. Flatheads are elongated, large-mouthed fish with tapered bodies, two dorsal fins, and rough scales. As their name indicates, the head, which is large and covered with ridges and spines, and the forward part of the body are flattened from top to bottom. The fish are carnivorous and generally live on the ocean bottom, buried beneath the surface. They are commercially valuable food fish and range in size to a maximum of about 1.3 m (50 inches) and 15 kg (33 pounds)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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