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flat spin

British  

noun

  1. an aircraft spin in which the longitudinal axis is more nearly horizontal than vertical

  2. informal a state of confusion; dither

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Baumgartner said that he felt as if he was in a flat spin at one point.

From Washington Post • Oct. 14, 2012

Mr. Wolfe wrote of how a plane at supersonic speed and high altitude could “skid into a flat spin like a cereal bowl on a Formica counter.”

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2011

But that winter he worked with his Sussex coach Peter Moores on converting his innocuous left-arm seam into flat spin that would make him a more valuable all-round performer.

From The Guardian • Mar. 24, 2011

And as the B70 did wind into a flat spin: "Bail out."

From Time Magazine Archive

Suddenly the machine quivered, swung to the left, and nearly put itself in a flat spin.

From Cavalry of the Clouds by Bott, Alan