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If the footstool is on its side like this, we can not sit on it. So we say "lay the footstool flat" or "lay the footstool down flat"

What about do it the other way round?

Say a child has to move it to a different place and he can not lift it up easily because it's quite big a little heavy.

He should roll it.

enter image description here

To do that, the child needs to "stand up the footstool so that it is on its side". I am not sure if this is a correct expression. If it is, then it's a little long.

I am not sure when an object lies and when it stands.

Say, a chair is standing when it is in its correct position and a chair is lying when it is on its side.

But the above footstool is lying when it is flat?

and it is standing when it is on its side?

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  • 2
    I quickly googled pictures of footstools and a range of shapes appeared. So there is probably not a one-size-fits-all answer. My instinct is to use standing when the stool is in the position designed for normal use. Then I would tell my son to "tip it onto its side" for moving.
    – Peter Kirkpatrick
    Commented Jun 2 at 1:22
  • In its normal position, a stool is already standing. So verbs like tip (@PeterKirkpatrick), tilt, or turn work better than stand. Tip the stool and roll it like a wheel.
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Jun 2 at 1:32
  • Distinguish between the stool’s seat and its legs (which are essentially perpendicular to the seat). We say a stool is standing when its feet are on the ground and its seat is more or less level (horizontal). If its seat is more or less plumb (vertical) and its legs more or less level (horizontal), we say the stool is on its side, or tipped over.
    – Paul Tanenbaum
    Commented Jun 2 at 1:33
  • "down flat" is the wrong phrase. It implies that the thing itself has a broad flat surface that can can be placed against the floor or the ground or some other flat surface. You could use the phrase of a flat-screen TV, an ironing board, a table top for an IKEA table you're assembling, a deck of playing cards, a ream of photocopier paper, etc.
    – TimR
    Commented Jun 2 at 10:30

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I can see why someone might go with "stand," but it's an odd choice here. If an object has no particular "default" orientation, we would say it's standing if the longest dimension is in the vertical direction. But something like a footstool is normally "standing" if it's in the orientation it's designed to be used in, with its base on the floor. "Lay" likewise kind of implies the opposite.

With an object like this, where the two frames of reference contradict, it's better to talk about it in different terms so there's no confusion. "Upright" and "sideways" (or "on its side") are standard terms, and you can tip, put, or set it that way, among others.

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I would agree with you that when the footstool is lying, it's flat. When it's standing, it's upright. That's why the verb is the important word in the sentence, and the latter part is technically unnecessary, but helpful to complete the sentence.

For example:

Lay the footstool flat.

I'm sure someone will argue this point, but when you lay the footstool, it has to be flat, and so flat is actually unnecessary. You could also say:

Lay the footstool down.

And communicate the same thing, without specifying "flat" specifically.

Similarly, you might say:

Stand the footstool up on its side [or on its end].

But if you stand the footstool up, you have to stand it on its side, so it's unnecessary. You could also say:

Stand the footstool up.

and communicate the same thing. There's only one way to stand it up.

While technically redundant, the additional qualifiers help clarify the speaker's intent, which is a good thing.

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  • Exactly what I was thinking. I might be stretching the OP's question but the "foot" in footstool also seems a little on the nose, since I'm assuming whoever the speaker is speaking to knows what object he/she's referring to?
    – alkahest
    Commented Jun 2 at 6:53
  • @alkahest What, you'd colloquially call a footstool a "stool"? I wouldn't.
    – the-baby-is-you
    Commented Jun 2 at 10:04

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