upright piano
3
3.0
- noun
- /ˈʌpˌraɪt ˈpiːənoʊ/
:
piano vertical
- The TV was on top of my mother's upright piano, which seemed a long way up to me.
Examples
-
When I was little, even if I was just practicing scales, my father would press his back against the base of our upright piano with his eyes closed so that he could feel the vibrations of the piano strings.
-
I carry an image in my mind of her sitting at an old upright piano in a church Sunday school room.
Academic text (2013) -
There, I would sing my songs next to the man playing an upright piano.
Blog text (29) -
I grew up in a house with an upright piano.
Blog text (18) -
There was an upright piano and the little organ that my brother played.
Academic text (2007) -
In the tiny orchestra pit, as we will see later, is an old upright piano.
Fiction book (2001) -
An old upright piano, shrouded in dust, hugs the far wall.
Fiction book (1997) -
We had an upright piano, a Baldwin, and acres of bookcases were built into the walls to house.
Fiction book (1996) -
Upon recognizing the song "You and I," Lon joins Anna at the upright piano, setting up the sequence's most important composition.
Academic text (1998) -
In the corner of the room, there was a beautiful upright piano that everyone admired.
Synonyms
2
4.9
A piano with strings set vertically so it takes less floor space
1
8.9
A small upright piano kept at home for practice
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase describes a piano that is 'upright' (vertical) rather than grand, so a learner who knows 'upright' (vertical) and 'piano' (keyboard instrument) can easily infer it is the more compact, vertical form. This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase following common cross-linguistic patterns, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Upright piano gets its name from how it is built: the strings and frame stand up behind the keyboard instead of lying flat like a grand piano, so it 'takes up less space'. That's why an upright piano means the smaller kind people choose for homes or small rooms.