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Batten
(redirected from batten down the hatches)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Idioms 0.01 sec.
batten
1. a narrow flat length of wood or plastic inserted in pockets of a sail to give it proper shape
2. a lath used for holding a tarpaulin along the side of a raised hatch on a ship
3. Theatre
a. a row of lights
b. the strip or bar supporting them
4. NZ an upright part of a fence made of wood or other material, designed to keep wires at equal distances apart

Batten
Jean. 1909--82, New Zealand aviator: the first woman to fly single-handed from Australia to Britain (1935)

batten [′bat·ən]
(aerospace engineering)
Metal, wood, or plastic panels laced to the envelope of a blimp in the nose cone to add rigidity to the nose and provide a good point of attachment for mooring.
(building construction)
A sawed timber strip of specific dimension-usually 7 inches (18 centimeters) broad, less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) thick, and more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) long-used for outside walls of houses, flooring, and such.
A strip of wood nailed across a door or other structure made of parallel boards to strengthen it and prevent warping.

batten
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.

Batten 

(Russian tes), a thin board obtained by sawing softwood logs lengthwise. Battens are 4–6.4 m long, 19–25 mm thick, and usually 100–110 mm wide. They are used in shipbuilding and railroad car construction to form paneling—either flush or with spaces between the planks—and to cover roofs and panel walls. Originally, boards obtained from the roughhewing of logs (obtesyvanie), which were usually first split in half, were designated by the term tes.



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35pm The residents of an Arizona town are forced to batten down the hatches and reach for the flame-throwers when mutant spiders are created by a toxic waste spill but the rampaging arachnids have 11'ed an insatiable appetite for human flesh.
Byline: PAUL O'HEHIR RICHARD DUNNE is ready to batten down the hatches tomorrow night as he anticipates an attacking onslaught from France.
Byline: STUART WATKINS AS SOME of our close European neighbours emerge from recession the temptation could be for business in this country to look inward, to batten down the hatches and focus on reliable, known markets for fear of further risk.
 
 
 
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