flattop

See also: flat-top, and flat top

English

Alternative forms

• flat top, flat-top

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.

Noun

flattop (plural flattops)

1. (US) A short haircut in which the hair is brushed straight up then cut flat across the top.
   • 1959 Jerry Keller, "Here Comes Summer" (lyrics):

     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

2. (US, navy, informal) An aircraft carrier. [from 1942]
3. (music) 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.
4. (cooking) A grill with a flat cooking surface rather than metal bars.

Synonyms

• (guitar with a flat top): folk guitar

References

• 2000. The Acoustic Guitar Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Maintain a New Or Used Guitar. Larry Sandberg. Pg. 26.