| 释义 |
flak|flæk|
Also flack.
[G., f. the intials of the elements of fliegerabwehrkanone ‘pilot-defence-gun’.]
a. An anti-aircraft gun; also (the usual sense in Eng.), anti-aircraft fire. Also attrib. So flak-happy a., mentally affected by flak (cf. bomb-happy adj., -happy); flak jacket, a protective jacket of heavy fabric containing metal strips or plates; flak ship, a German anti-aircraft vessel.
1938Jane's Fighting Ships 218/2 [On a German vessel] A.A. guns. 4·1 inch, 3·5 inch on H.A. mounts (‘Flak’). 1940Times Weekly 23 Apr. 2 Heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire from the flak ships. 1940Times 16 Sept. 2/3 The word ‘Flak’ is probably used in every Bomber Command pilot's report after a raid on Germany. 1940Flight 19 Sept. 224/1 One of the British bombers which raided Berlin..had been damaged when diving through heavy Flak fire. 1941D. Garnett War in Air x. 99 Every motorised column of troops..had its own ‘Flak’ detachment of anti-aircraft guns. 1941Times 30 Sept. 4/7 Blenheim and Beaufort aircraft of Coastal Command flew through intense flak. 1943in Amer. Speech (1944) XIX. 60 Flak Happy. 1943Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 12 May–3 Aug. 50 One of Hitler's hush-hush flak-towers designed for high elevation defence against raiding aircraft. 1944Amer. Speech XIX. 10 Flak-happy..was used to designate the mental confusion of an airman exposed to severe flak. 1956W. A. Heflin U.S.A.F. Dict. 207/1 Flak curtain... Flak jacket. Ibid. 207/2 Flak suit... Flak vest. 1957J. Braine Room at Top xxviii. 230 The bomb-aimer got a faceful of flak. 1961J. Heller Catch-22 (1962) xiv. 141 He left his flak suit and parachute there. 1968Observer 4 Feb. 1/1 No man ventures out without a gun and a flak jacket. 1970Guardian 10 July 11/1 Experienced reporters here [sc. in Belfast]..have been sending to London for flak jackets. 1971Daily Tel. 5 Aug. 8/7 The burst of orgasms coming as incessantly as a barrage of flak leave one a little sex-shocked.
b. fig. (A barrage of) abuse, adverse criticism.
1968N.Y. Times 20 May 46 In spite of the current flak between Mayor Lindsay and..the..administrator of Boston and New Haven.., the potential for the city is unlimited. 1969A. Lurie Real People 163 Well, all right. So why all the flak? 1972New Yorker 16 Jan. 41 (caption) Getting much flak from Women's Lib? 1975High Times Dec. 111/2 You may find yorself gathering flack from more vigilant foes of the herb. 1976T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 25 Isn't that going to cause rather a lot of flak in the..P.L.P.? 1981Times 19 Oct. 17/8 When someone left the office lights on during a power crisis, they..got a good deal of flack in the morning. 1985A. Blond Book Book ix. 143 Trade pressure groups like the Book Marketing Council have received flak from such pundits as Bernard Levin.
Add:c. flak-catcher colloq. (orig. U.S.), one who deals with and deflects adverse or hostile comment, questions, etc., in order to protect a person or institution from unfavourable publicity; also transf.
1970T. Wolfe Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing Flak Catchers 110 And then it dawns on you... This man is the *flak catcher. His job is to catch the flak for the No. 1 man. 1976Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 31 Jan. 7/4 The cynic sees regulatory agencies as flak-catchers for the government. 1984Melody Maker 6 Oct. 14/5 They defend themselves pretty well, putting up their wittiest flak-catchers for interview. |