20 seconds flat!

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Could you please tell me the meaning of flat in the given sentence?

1-Flopping down on the empty bed beside mine, he was snoring peacefully in 20 seconds flat."

Tom

2

Hi Tom

20 seconds flat means exactly 20 seconds and not even one fraction of a second longer.

Amy

3

So fast :!: :!: :shock: Thank you a lot.

Amy, could you please see if the given sentences are correct?

1- He came back in one hour flat.
2- He came back in one hour nothing.
3- She is twenty years flat.
4- She is twenty years nothing.

Yours ever

Tom

4

Hi Tom

Forget about sentences 2, 3 +4. :shock: They’re not good. Sentence 1 is possible, but the word flat is most typically used with seconds and minutes. It’s usually associated with a surprisingly short or fast period of time.

Amy

EDIT:

You could say She’s twenty-something. And that simply means She’s in her twenties.