B quadratum, quadrate B or square B noun

In old music, B natural

B rotundum or round B noun

In old music, B flat

B'-school noun

Business school

not know a B from a battledore, broomstick or bull's foot (old sl)

To be very ignorant

B̄

symbol

(medieval Roman numeral) 3000

B̄

symbol

(Roman numeral) 100000

square /skwār/

noun

1. A geometric figure having four equal sides and four right angles
2. An object, piece, space, figure, of approximately that shape, eg a windowpane, paving-stone, space on a chessboard, a silk headscarf
3. An open space, commonly but not necessarily of that shape, in a town, along with its surrounding buildings
4. A rectangular area in the centre of a cricket ground, on which the wickets are prepared
5. A rectangular block of buildings (US)
6. A body of troops drawn up in that form
7. The product of a quantity multiplied by itself (mathematics)
8. The yoke of a garment (Shakespeare)
9. A unit of flooring, 100 square feet
10. An instrument for drawing or testing right angles
11. A carpenter's measure
12. A piece of timber cut square, of side up to six inches
13. A canon, standard, criterion, rule (obsolete)
14. Squareness
15. Quartile aspect (old astronomy)
16. Due proportion
17. Order
18. Honesty, equity, fairness
19. A quarrel, dissension (obsolete)
20. Poss a part, compartment (Shakespeare, King Lear I.1.73)
21. An unopened cotton flower (US)
22. A person of boringly traditional outlook and opinions, esp in musical taste or dress (informal)
23. A square meal (informal)

adjective

1. Having or approaching the form of a square
2. Relatively broad, thick-set
3. Right-angled
4. (in football, etc) in a line, position, etc across the pitch
5. Equal to a quantity multiplied by itself
6. Measuring an area in two dimensions, ie length multiplied by width or breadth
7. Exact, suitable, fitting
8. True, equitable, fair, honest
9. Even, leaving no balance, equal in score
10. Directly opposed
11. Complete, unequivocal
12. Solid, full, satisfying
13. (of taste in music, dress, etc) boringly traditional and orthodox (informal)
14. Bourgeois in attitude (informal)

transitive verb

1. To make square or rectangular, esp in cross-section
2. To make nearly cubical
3. To form into squares
4. To mark with squares
5. To construct or determine a square equal to
6. To multiply by itself
7. To reduce to any given measure or standard, to adjust, regulate
8. To bring into accord, reconcile
9. To place at right angles with the mast or keel (nautical)
10. To make equal
11. To pay
12. To bribe
13. (with with) to get (someone's) agreement, approval or permission for something

intransitive verb

1. To suit, fit
2. To accord or agree
3. To adopt a position of offence and defence, as a boxer does (often with up to; see also below)
4. To swagger (obsolete)
5. To make the score or account even

adverb

1. At right angles
2. Solidly
3. Directly
4. Evenly
5. Fairly, honestly

squared adjective

squareˈly adverb

squareˈness noun

squarˈer noun

1. Someone who or something that squares
2. A fighting, quarrelsome person, or perh a swaggerer (Shakespeare)

squareˈwise adverb

squarˈing noun and adjective

squarˈish adjective

square B see B quadratum under B (n).

squareˈ-bashing noun (milit sl)

Parade ground drill

square bracket noun

A bracket

squareˈ-built adjective

1. Of a form suggesting squareness
2. Broad in proportion to height

square centimetre, metre, etc noun

An area equal to that of a square whose side measures a centimetre, metre, etc

squareˈ-cut adjective

1. Cut in a square shape
2. (of a person's chin) having a strong, squared outline

square dance noun (esp N American)

A folk dance done by a group of four couples in a square formation

squareˈ-dance intransitive verb

squareˈ-dancing noun

squared circle noun

A wrestling ring

square deal noun (informal)

A fair and honest arrangement, transaction, etc

squareˈ-eyed adjective

square eyes plural noun

An imaginary condition affecting those who watch too much television

squareˈ-face noun (S Afr)

Gin (from the shape of the bottle)

square foot, inch, mile, etc noun

An area equal to that of a square whose side measures a foot, etc

squareˈhead noun (old derog sl)

A Scandinavian or German

square knot noun

A reef knot

square leg noun (cricket)

A fielder, or a fielding position, on the legside in a line with the popping crease

square matrix noun (mathematics)

A matrix with an equal number of rows and columns

square meal noun

A full, satisfying meal

square measure noun

A system of measures for surfaces, its unit the square of the lineal unit

square mile

1. See square foot above
2. (usu with caps) the City of London, specif the area around and incl the Bank of England
3. Financial life, activities, etc in the City of London (figurative)

square number noun

A number the square root of which is an integer

square peg see under peg

squareˈ-pierced adjective (heraldry)

Having a square opening so as to show the field

square-riggedˈ adjective (nautical)

Having square sails extended by yards suspended by the middle at right angles to the masts, opp to fore-and-aft

square-riggˈer noun (nautical)

A square-rigged ship

square root noun

A number or quantity which being multiplied by itself produces the quantity in question, eg 3 is the square root of 9

squareˈ-sail /-sl/ noun (nautical)

A four-sided sail extended by yards suspended by the middle generally at right angles to the mast

square sausage same as Lorne sausage

square shooter noun (chiefly US informal)

A frank and honest person

square shooting noun

square-shoulˈdered adjective

With broad, straight shoulders

square-toedˈ adjective

(of shoes, etc) ending square at the toes

squareˈ-toes noun

1. (pl) square-toed shoes
2. (sing) an old-fashioned, punctilious person (archaic)

back to square one

Back to the original position with the problem, etc, unchanged

how squares go (obsolete)

1. What is doing
2. How things are going

on the square

1. At right angles
2. Openly, honestly
3. An expression identifying someone as a member of the Freemasons (slang)

square away

1. To set (sails) at right angles to the keel (nautical)
2. To make neat and tidy (N American)

square off (informal)

To adopt an offensive or defensive stance, as in boxing before any blows are struck

square up (informal)

To settle (a bill, account, etc)

square up to

To face up to and tackle

squaring the circle

1. Finding a square of the same area as a circle, which for hundreds of years was attempted by Euclidean means (ie with straight-edge and compass) until in 1882 it was proved impossible (also squaring the quadrature of the circle)
2. Any impossible task