Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Antiaircraft artillery.
- n. The bursting shells fired from such artillery.
- n. Informal Excessive or abusive criticism.
- n. Informal Dissension; opposition.
Wiktionary
- n. Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.
- n. Anti-aircraft shell fire.
- n. Adverse criticism.
- n. A public-relations spokesperson.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
- n. artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes
- n. intense adverse criticism
Etymologies
- German, from Fl(ieger)a(bwehr)k(anone), aircraft-defense gun.
Examples
“So whenever you hear some label flak claiming 98% of the bands they sign lose money for the company, substitute the phrase "just don't earn enough" for the word "lose.”
“I will note also that she has taken some flak from the left because “too many” white males were hired.”
“He will always face flak from the minority of introducing romance to Doctor Who.”
“Also she has taken enough flak from the bias media.”
Johnston: Palin wanted to take the money, 'forget everything else'
“Our second annual spring trip to the Upper Catch and Release Area of the Miller's River, my father caught this nice brown trout, and caught flak from the elitists because he was using the fly rod with a spinning reel and rooster tail and catching fish, while the elitist fly fishers were getting skunked all morning.”
“I've had no flak from the boobs POV because there are none to be found.”
“Considering the flak from the left and right, I'd say Obama's got it just about right.”
“You reveal yourself fully not when times are flush — but when the flak is heavy, and these so-called tough guys couldn't break a thumbhold from a trembling Barney Fife.”
“I don't mind taking flak (and if a paper endorses, or chooses not to endorse, any candidate, flak is certain to be incoming), but I wasn't part of those decisions.”
“Santa punches a button, releasing a cloud of flak from the sleigh's rear.”
fbharjo whatever flies! Jun 5, 2009
seanahan Very interesting etymology from etymonline, "acronym for Fliegerabwehrkanone 'airplane defense cannon.'" Jun 5, 2009