flak
noun /flæk/
/flæk/
(also flack)
[uncountable]- guns on the ground that are shooting at enemy aircraft; bullets from these guns
- (informal) severe criticism
- He's taken a lot of flak for his left-wing views.
- She came in for a lot of flak from the press.
Word Origin1930s: from German, abbreviation of Fliegerabwehrkanone, literally ‘aviator-defence gun’.