Cuadriculado

Cuadriculado
 

Does this word sometimes mean square as in overly conventional and boring? If so, is it commonly used?

Cuadriculado = grid like pattern (I cannot think of another term at this moment)

And yes, sometimes can be use to mean "no seas cuadrado" (don't be (a) square)

In the sense of "overly conventional and boring", I have only heard "(ser) cuadrado", which is often said. "Cuadriculado" usually means checked, but it may well be understood in context with the same meaning.

graph paper (gridded paper) = papel cuadriculado

"Cuadriculado" is used in some contexts and groups to qualify pieces of design or art as boring, unimaginative, purposelessly modular, like a city with an Hippodamian plan; anything that suggests "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-...." with a little bit of "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah...".

Here it is commonly used, e.g., for people who follow strictly the rules.

rigid, inflexible, according to:

http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/t...n=cuadriculado

Curiously, it's not in the RAE dictionary.

That's right, however, DRAE gives,
cuadricular2. 1. tr. Trazar líneas que formen una cuadrícula.
2. tr. Someter a esquemas o comportamientos rígidos. Quieren cuadricularnos la mente. U. t. c. prnl.

Moliner gives,
cuadriculado, -a
1 Participio adjetivo de «cuadricular».
2 adj. y n. m. Se aplica al *dibujo de cuadrículas. ¤ Particularmente, «papel cuadriculado». Þ Casilla.
3 adj. Se aplica a la persona poco flexible en sus ideas o costumbres.

To me is like "square" in English, (like they mention in the other forum)
square 7. Slang. a person who is ignorant of or uninterested in current fads, ideas, manners, tastes, etc.; an old-fashioned, conventional, or conservative person.
Oxford gives,
5 (conventional) (colloq) soso (fam), rígidamente convencional, carroza.

My examples,
"No seas tan cuadriculado, y vete a bailar un rato..."
"Era un tío muy carroza y cuadriculado, pero en el fondo era buen hombre..."
"Es que estos alemanes tienen la mente cuadriculada..." (No offense intended.)

So, in Spain is common and understandable...

Single-minded?

No. Single- minded describe una persona que hace una cosa sola sin consultar a nadie. Fecuentamente es una acción peligrosa
Ejemplo: Joe singlemindedly decided to climb the cliff.

En inglés la palabra más usada es square. Ejemplo: He is so square that he cannot imagine anyone not wanting to
be married, two children who love sports and nothing else, and a house in the suburbs with and SUV and a caravan.

Is cuadriculado/ser cuadrado the same as biempensante?

Biempensante is just French bien-pensant. I think cuadrado, cuadriculado and biempensante are not related. Cuadrado is an unsophisticated moron; cuadriculados are rigid unimaginative people and you can't possibly convince them into thinking outside their tiny boxes; bien-pensant are the typical upper-mid-class fellows that are correct and conventional, demure and proper, who think and act (and vote!) like gentlefolk (a Harvard graduate voting Romney, not Gingrich nor Santorum), the opposite of the molotov-bombing fellows that claim for a revolution.