batten

(băt'n)

v., -tened, -ten·ing, -tens.

v.intr.

1. To become fat.
2. To thrive and prosper, especially at another's expense: "[She] battens like a leech on the lives of famous people, . . . a professional retailer of falsehoods" (George F. Will).

v.tr.
To fatten; overfeed.

[Ultimately from Old Norse batna, to improve.]

bat·ten² (băt'n)
n.

1. Nautical.
   1. One of several flexible strips of wood or plastic placed in pockets at the outer edge of a sail to keep it flat.
   2. A narrow strip of wood used to fasten down the edges of the material that covers hatches in foul weather.
2. Chiefly British. A narrow strip of wood used especially for flooring.

tr.v., -tened, -ten·ing, -tens.
Nautical. To furnish, fasten, or secure with battens: battened down the hatch during the storm.

idiom:

batten down the hatches

1. To prepare for an imminent disaster or emergency.

[Middle English batent, from Old French bataunt, wooden strip, clapper, from present participle of batre, to beat. See batter¹.]

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verb

To make a large profit: profit. Slang clean up. Idioms: make a killing. See money.

v

Definition: fasten securely
Antonyms: loosen, unfasten, unfix

1. A narrow strip of wood applied to cover a joint along the edges of two parallel boards in the same plane.
2. A strip of wood fastened across two or more parallel boards to hold them together; also called a cross batten
3. A flat strip of wood attached to a wall as a base for lathing, plastering, etc.; also called a furring strip.
4. In roofing, a wood strip applied over boards or roof structural members; used as a base for the attachment of slate, wood, or clay-tile shingles.
5. See board and batten
6. A board usually 2 in. (5 cm) to 4 in. (10 cm) thick and usually used as a lathing support or in flooring.
7. A steel strip used to secure metal flooring on a fire escape.
8. On a theater stage, a strip of wood to frame, stiffen, or reinforce a flat, or to fasten several flats together.
9. On a theater stage, length of hollow metal of round, square, or rectangular cross section used in connection with stage rigging to hang scenery or lighting equipment, such as a pipe batten or lighting batten.

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IN BRIEF: n. - A strip fixed to something to hold it firm; Stuffing made of rolls or sheets of cotton wool or synthetic fiber v. - Secure with a strip fixed to something to hold it firm.

Tutor's tip: A "baton" is a short stick passed from one contestant to another in a race, while a "batten" is a wooden strip used to cover a joint between boards.

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For a list of words related to batten, see:

• Building and Machine Parts - batten: narrow wood strip that covers seam between boards
• Cuts, Sizes, Treatments, and Forms of Wood - batten: sawed strip of wood, esp. used as seam or fastener
• Parts of Ships, Sails, and Equipment - batten: strip used to fasten canvas over hatchways or to stiffen sails

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See words rhyming with "batten."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Batten.

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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - lægte
v. tr. - lægte af, fastgøre, forstærke

idioms:

• batten down    skalke lugerne

2.
v. intr. - mæske sig

idioms:

• batten on    mæske sig

3.
n. - revle
v. tr. - opfede, fede

Nederlands (Dutch)
lat (om iets mee te bevestigen), met latten bevestigen, vet worden, beter worden ten koste van een ander

Français (French)
1.
n. - volige, latte, planche (de parquet), (Naut) latte (de voile), (Théât) herse
v. tr. - latter, planchéier, voliger

idioms:

• batten down    (Naut) fermer (les écoutilles), condamner (les panneaux)

2.
v. intr. - se gorger, se gaver, se bourrer de, s'engraisser aux dépens de qn

idioms:

• batten on    s'engraisser aux dépens de, se bourrer de

3.
n. - latte de fixation (métier à tisser), partie du bâti (d'un métier à tisser)
v. tr. - latter

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Leiste, Latte
v. - mit Latten befestigen

idioms:

• batten down    schalken, dicht machen

2.
v. - (sich) mästen, fett werden, reich werden, sich mästen auf Kosten

idioms:

• batten on    schmarotzen bei

3.
n. - (Web)rahmen, (Webstuhl) Schaft
v. - mit dem Weberschiffchen weben

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - παχαίνω, πλουτίζω (σε βάρος κάποιου)
n. - πηχάκι, λεπτοσανίδα, (ναυτ.) μπάρα, βέργα

idioms:

• batten down    ασφαλίζω (μπουκαπόρτες) με χαλύβδινες μπάρες
• batten on    ευδοκιμώ σε βάρος (κάποιου άλλου)

Italiano (Italian)
stecca

idioms:

• batten on    ingrassarsi a spese di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - engordar, prender travessas
n. - ripa (f), tábua (f) de soalho, tranca (f) de escotilha (Náut.), caibro (m)

idioms:

• batten down    correr as escotilhas
• batten on    viver bem as custas de outra pessoa

Русский (Russian)
доска, рейка, планка

idioms:

• batten down    приготовиться (к бою)
• batten on    жить на чьем-либо иждивении

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - listón, varal, tabla
v. tr. - reforzar, asegurar

idioms:

• batten down    asegurados, reforzados

2.
v. intr. - aprovecharse

idioms:

• batten on    enriquecerse a costa de otro, cebarse

3.
n. - abono, cebo
v. tr. - abonar, cebar, engordar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - beslå (förstärka) med plank, proppa sig full
n. - plank, ribba, list, latt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 长胖, 贪吃

idioms:

• batten on    靠...养肥, 靠...而兴旺

2. 板条, 木条, 养肥

idioms:

• batten down    用板条或压条等使固定

3. 条板, 扣板, 小方材, 曲尺, 装条板, 在...钉扣板

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 板條, 木條
v. tr. - 養肥

idioms:

• batten down    用板條或壓條等使固定

2.
v. intr. - 長胖, 貪吃

idioms:

• batten on    靠...養肥, 靠...而興旺

3.
n. - 條板, 扣板, 小方材, 曲尺
v. tr. - 裝條板, 在...釘扣板

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 마루청, 활대
v. tr. - ~에 오리 목을 대다, ~에 마루청을 깔다

idioms:

• batten down    누름 대를 대고 밀폐하다

2.
v. intr. - 뚱뚱해지다, 게걸스럽게 먹다, 호사스럽게 살다

idioms:

• batten on    마구 먹다

3.
n. - (견직기의) 바디, (곡선용) 휨자
v. tr. - (견직기의) 바디로 제자리를 찾게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 当木で固定する, 太る
n. - 床張り板, 目板, 当木

idioms:

• batten down    当て木をする
• batten down the hatches    ハッチを当て木で密閉する, 危機に備える
• batten on    がつがつ食う, 私腹を肥やす

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يثبت بألواح (الاسم) لوحه خشب طويله‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פס מתכת או עץ, קרש, לוח, כפיס עץ ליישור מפרש‬
v. tr. - ‮הידק בקרשים, סגר‬
v. intr. - ‮השמין (ע"ח הזולת), פיטם, שיגשג על חשבון, ניצל‬
n. - ‮דפה - מסגרת נעה בנול-אריגה המחזיקה במקומו את המסרק, חלק ממפתל נול-האריגה‬
v. tr. - ‮הביא (חוט מילוי) למקומו באמצעות דפה‬

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