Not a Rectangle

My friend Li Feng thinks I know everything. At least she used to. Today she was telling me about the new fence her neighbour is putting up, for which she is sharing the cost.

The neighbour had noticed her carport was not square with his fence. She had tried to explain, but her vocabulary wasn't up to it.

My property not like this, she told me, drawing a set of parallel lines on a piece of paper. What do you call this ?

Parallel, I said, uncertainly.

Aah, parallel, she repeated, and wrote it down.

My property like this, she said, and drew a set of lines that were wider apart at the bottom than at the top. What do you call this? she asked.

Wider at the front than at the back, I said, hoping it wasn't the other way round.

Aah, wider, she said. I ask De Long. He say 'google' . Is this true? Is it called google?

I looked dubious.

I don't think so, I said. The lines aren't parallel. Your property is not a rectangle.

Not parallel, she wrote, followed by, Not a rectangle.

Then she wrote these words again in Cantonese.

Mmm, she said. Not a rectangle. De Long he say 'google'.

We left it at that. I had a feeling though, that Delong was right, and that the shape must have a proper geometrical name. When I got home I googled it and learned that the shape of her property is in fact an Isoceles Trapezium.

I must remember to tell her that next week.