set square
- noun
- /sɛt skwɛr/
- UK
- Sitting quietly cross-legged on a black wooden stool, Mohamedi would work at the drawing table surrounded by the tools of her craft: a Staedtler bow-pen, a German metal ruler, and a set square, a jar of black Rotring.
Examples
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He quickly grabbed a set square to check the right angles on his woodworking project.
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To ensure accurate angles in her designs, she used a set square while drafting the house plans.
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The architect demonstrated how to use a set square to create precise angles on the blueprint.
Synonyms
A hand tool with two straight arms joined at a right angle
A metal tool with a ruler and handle for checking right angles in wood or metal
A large flat L-shaped metal tool carpenters use to measure and mark right angles
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward composition: 'square' denotes the right‑angle tool and 'set' marks it as a particular/fixed type, so the overall meaning — a specific square used for drawing/checking angles — is directly inferable from the parts. This follows regular English noun + modifier composition and is likely transparent to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Set square is named for what the tool does: it helps you set a square, a 'right angle', on paper or wood. That's why set square means the tool used to draw and check 'right angles'.