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square off

 Origin

square

   [skwair] ,noun, verb, squared, squar·ing, adjective, squar·er, squar·est, adverb
noun
1.
a rectangle having all four sides of equal length.
2.
anything having this form or a form approximating it, as a city block, rectangular piece of candy, etc.
3.
an open area or plaza in a city or town, formed by the meeting or intersecting of two or more streets and often planted with grass, trees, etc., in the center.
4.
a rectangularly shaped area on a game board, as in chess or checkers.
5.
a try square, T square, or the like.
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6.
Mathematics.
a.
the second power of a quantity, expressed as a2 = a × a, where a is the quantity.
b.
a quantity that is the second power of another: Four is the square of two.
7.
Slang. a person who is ignorant of or uninterested in current fads, ideas, manners, tastes, etc.; an old-fashioned, conventional, or conservative person.
8.
Military. (formerly) a body of troops drawn up in quadrilateral form.
9.
Building Trades. a unit of measure for roofing materials, equal to 100 square feet (9.3 sq. m).
10.
a flower bud of the cotton plant.
11.
Nautical. the area at the bottom of a hatchway.
12.
Usually, squares. Informal. a square meal: to get three squares a day.
13.
Astrology. a situation in which two heavenly bodies or groups of heavenly bodies have celestial longitudes differing by 90 degrees, an aspect indicative of internal tension with an equally strong and conflicting need for adjustment.
14.
Obsolete. a pattern, standard, or example.
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verb (used with object)
15.
to reduce to square, rectangular, or cubical form (often followed by off): He squared off the log to make a timber for his house.
16.
to mark out in one or more squares or rectangles.
17.
to test with measuring devices for deviation from a right angle, straight line, or plane surface.
18.
Mathematics.
a.
to multiply (a number or quantity) by itself; raise to the second power.
b.
to describe or find a square that is equivalent in area to: to square a circle.
19.
to bring to the form of a right angle or right angles; set at right angles to something else.
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20.
to even the score of (a contest): to square a game.
21.
to set (the shoulders and back) in an erect posture so they form an angle similar to a right angle.
22.
to make straight, level, or even: Square the cloth on the table.
23.
to regulate, as by a standard; adapt; adjust.
24.
to adjust harmoniously or satisfactorily (often followed by with): How could you square such actions with your conscience?
25.
to balance; pay off; settle: to square a debt.
26.
Slang. to secure a desired action or attitude by means of bribery; bribe.
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Square off is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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verb (used without object)
27.
to accord or agree (often followed by with): Your theory does not square with the facts.
28.
to settle, even, or balance a matter, as by paying a bill, returning a favor, or tying a score.
29.
(of a cotton plant) to form buds.
adjective
30.
formed by or as a right angle; having some part or parts rectangular: a square corner.
31.
having four sides and four right angles in two dimensions or three pairs of parallel sides meeting at right angles in three dimensions; having each dimension in the shape of a square or rectangle and all angles right angles: a square box.
32.
noting any unit of area measurement having the form of a square and designated by a unit of linear measurement forming a side of the square: one square foot.
33.
noting a system of area measurement in terms of such units.
34.
(of an area) equal to a square of a specified length on a side: five miles square.
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35.
at right angles, or perpendicular.
36.
Nautical. at right angles to the mast and the keel, as a yard.
37.
having a square or rectangular section: a square bar.
38.
having a solid, sturdy form, especially when characterized by a rectilinear or angular outline.
39.
straight, level, or even, as a surface.
40.
leaving no balance of debt on either side; having all accounts settled: I'm all square with my landlord.
41.
just, fair, or honest.
42.
straightforward, direct, or unequivocal.
43.
Slang. conventional or conservative in style or outlook; not hip.
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adverb
44.
so as to be square; in square or rectangular form.
45.
at right angles.
46.
fairly or honestly.
47.
directly or straightforwardly.
Verb phrases
48.
square around, Baseball. (of a bunter) to shift the feet and body from a conventional batting stance to a position facing the pitcher, with the bat held across and in front of the body.
49.
square away,
a.
Nautical. to arrange the yards so as to sail before the wind.
b.
to prepare; get ready: Square away for dinner.
c.
to assume a position of defense or offense: The wrestlers squared away for the first fall.
d.
to organize or complete satisfactorily; put in order: I want to square away the work before going on vacation.
50.
square off,
a.
to assume a posture of defense or offense, as in boxing: They squared off for a fight.
b.
to prepare to dispute with another; show signs of opposition or resistance: The governor and the legislature are squaring off over the landfill issue.
51.
square up, to pay or settle an account, bill, etc.: We squared up with the cashier and checked out of the hotel.
Idioms
52.
on the square,
a.
at right angles.
b.
Informal. straightforward; honest; just: Their dealings with us have always been on the square.
53.
out of square,
a.
not at right angles.
b.
not in agreement; incorrect; irregular: The inspector's conclusions are out of square with his earlier report.
54.
square the circle, to strive without chance of success; attempt the impossible.
Origin:
1250–1300; (noun) Middle English < Old French esquar(r)e < Vulgar Latin *exquadra, derivative of *exquadrāre (Latin ex- ex-1 + quadrāre to square; see quadrate); (v.) Middle English squaren < Old French esquarrer < Vulgar Latin *exquadrāre; (adj.) Middle English < Old French esquarré, past participle of esquarrer; (adv.) derivative of the adj.

Related forms
squar·a·ble, adjective
square·like, adjective
square·ness, noun
squar·er, noun
un·squar·a·ble, adjective
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un·squared, adjective
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Synonyms
3. place, park. 22. straighten. 23. rectify. 40. balanced. 42. downright, straight.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To square off
Collins
World English Dictionary
square off
 
—vb
(intr, adverb) to assume a posture of offence or defence, as in boxing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

square
c.1300, "containing four equal sides and right angles," from square (n.). Meaning "honest, fair," is first attested 1564; that of "straight, direct" is from 1804. Sense of "old-fashioned" is 1944, U.S. jazz slang, said to be from shape of a conductor's hand gestures in a
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regular four-beat rhythm. (Square-toes meant nearly the same thing in 1771, from a style of shoes then fallen from fashion.) Squaresville is attested from 1956. Square one "the beginning" is first recorded 1960, probably from board games; square dance first attested 1870.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
square   (skwâr)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun  

  1. A rectangle having four equal sides.

  2. The product that results when a number or quantity is multiplied by itself. The square of 8, for example, is 64.


Adjective   Of, being, or using units that express the measure of area.

Verb   To multiply a number, quantity, or expression by itself.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
square (of a number)

A number multiplied by itself, or raised to the second power. The square of three is nine; the square of nine is eighty-one.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

square (meal) definition


  1. n.
    a good and nutritious meal. (Always with quantifier when square is used without meal.) : I need three squares a day—at least. , The old soak looks like he could use a square meal.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

square off definition


  1. in.
    to prepare to fight; to prepare to argue or compete. : They were squaring off, so I asked them if they'd like to step outside.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

square off

Take a fighting stance, prepare to fight, as in As they squared off, the teacher came out and stopped them, or The ambassador said the two countries were squaring off. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
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