The high-frequency part of the characteristic function $\mathbf{1}_L$ of a (would-be) line $L \subseteq \mathbb{F}_p^2$: $L_h(x) = \mathbf{1}_L(x) - 1/p$. For an actual affine line of cardinality $p$, this subtracts the average value $|L|/p^2 = 1/p$.
Instances For
A homogeneous $2 \times 2$ linear system over $\mathbb{F}_p$ with nonzero determinant $a_1 b_2 - a_2 b_1 \ne 0$ has only the trivial solution $dx = dy = 0$.
If two line equations $(a_1, b_1; c_1)$ and $(a_2, b_2; c_2)$ over $\mathbb{F}_p^2$ have proportional coefficients (cross ratios all vanish), then they define the same line: every point satisfies one iff it satisfies the other.
Two distinct affine lines in $\mathbb{F}_p^2$ meet in at most one point.
Inner product of the high-frequency parts of two finite sets of size $p$ in $\mathbb{F}_p^2$: $\sum_{x \in \mathbb{F}_p^2} L_{1, h}(x) L_{2, h}(x) = |L_1 \cap L_2| - 1$.
Lemma 2.4 (Orthogonality of lines). If $L_1, L_2$ are two distinct affine lines in $\mathbb{F}_q^2$, then $\sum_{x \in \mathbb{F}_q^2} L_{1, h}(x) L_{2, h}(x) \le 0$. This follows from $|L_1 \cap L_2| \le 1$ for distinct lines.