flak vs flack :

flak or flack

“Flak” is WW II airman’s slang for shells being fired at you in the air, so to catch a lot of flak is to feel in danger of being shot down. However, most civilians these days have never heard of “flak,” so they use “flack” instead, which originally meant “salesman” or “huckster.” You need to worry about this only if you’re among old-time veterans.You’re more likely to embarrass yourself if you mix up the expression “catch a lot of flak” with “give a lot of slack,” which has almost the opposite meaning. You can’t catch slack.

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Definitions

  • n  a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
  • n  intense adverse criticism
    don't give me any flak
  • n  artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes

  • n  a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
  • n  intense adverse criticism
  • n  artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes
News & Articles

  • Houston sees 29% drop in homeless since 2011
    HOUSTON, TX – Houston gets a lot of flak for its treatment of the homeless. But someone must be doing something right. New numbers are in, and there’s been a 29% drop in homelessness in the city since 2011. That …
    June 13, 2013 - CW39 NewsFix
  • Angels' Peter Bourjos won't get in middle of controversy
    Peter Bourjos, fresh off the DL, returns to his usual position, center field, forcing Mike Trout back to left field. Manager Mike Scioscia has taken flak for that. BALTIMORE — Peter Bourjos didn't get caught up in the controversy surrounding Manager Mike Scioscia's decision to move Mike Trout from center field to left field when Bourjos, out since April 30 because of a left hamstring strain, was ...
    June 11, 2013 - Los Angeles Times
  • Angels' Peter Bourjos won't get in middle of controversy
    Peter Bourjos, fresh off the DL, returns to his usual position, center field, forcing Mike Trout back to left field. Manager Mike Scioscia has taken flak for that. BALTIMORE — Peter Bourjos didn't get caught up in the controversy surrounding Manager Mike Scioscia's decision to move Mike Trout from center field to left field when Bourjos, out since April 30 because of a left hamstring strain, was ...
    June 11, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

  • Korean baseball player calls African-American pitcher too black
    At best, South Korean first baseman Kim Tae Kyun is just dumb. At worst, he's flat-out racist. The Hanwa Eagles slugger is drawing heavy flack for some cringe-inducing comments about fellow Korea Baseball Organization player Shane Youman, an American pitcher who starts for the Lotte Giants. Oh, and one more thing about Youman: he's black. That, according to Kim, makes him especially difficult to ...
    June 13, 2013 - The Mercury
  • This Day in Black History: June 12, 1971
    Roberta Flack's "You've Got a Friend" hit the charts.
    June 12, 2013 - BET.com
  • This Day in Black History: June 12, 1971
    Roberta Flack's "You've Got a Friend" hit the charts.
    June 12, 2013 - BET.com