wikipedia
English
Etymology
From the ME. word flashen (to splash), a variant of flasken, which was likely of imitative origin.
Pronunciation
Hyphenation: flash (one syllable)
rhymes|æ�
audio|en-us-flash.ogg|Audio (US)
Verb
en-verb|flash|es
- To briefly illuminate a scene.
#:He flashed the light at the water, trying to see what made the noise.
- To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently.
#:The light flashed on and off.
- To be visible briefly.
#:The scenery flashed by quickly.
- To make visible briefly.
#:A number will be flashed on the screen.
- computing To write to the memory of an updatable component such as a BIOS chip or games cartridge.
- colloquial To expose one's naked body in public briefly.
- metallurgy To release the pressure from a pressurized vessel.
Synonyms
(to briefly illuminate:) glint
Derived terms
flashing
flashlight
flashback
flasher
Related terms
possibly flush
See also
gleam
Translations
trans-top|briefly illuminate a scene
Danish: lyse, skinne
Serbian: plamsaj
trans-mid
trans-bottom
trans-top|blink
Danish: blinke
trans-mid
trans-bottom
trans-top|be visible briefly
Danish: glimte
trans-mid
trans-bottom
trans-top|make visible briefly
Danish: blive vise|vist i glimt
trans-mid
trans-bottom
trans-top|expose one's naked body briefly in public
Danish: blotte sig
trans-mid
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Noun
en-noun|flashes
- A sudden, short, temporary burst of light.
- linguistics A language, created by a repressed minority to maintain cultural identity, that cannot be understood by the ruling class; for example, Ebonics|ebonics.
- A very short amount of time.
#*1876, w:Mark Twain|Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
#*:Quick�something must be done! done in a flash, too! But the very imminence of the emergency paralyzed his invention.
- material|Material left around the edge of a mould|moulded part at the parting line of the mould.
- Cockney The strips of bright cloth or buttons worn around the collars of market traders.
Synonyms
(sudden, short, temporary burst of light:) gleam, glint
(material left around the egde of a mould:) moulding flash, molding flash
Antonyms
(very short amount of time:) aeon
Hypernyms
(sudden, short, temporary burst of light:) light
See also
sparkle, shimmer, glimmer, twinkle
Derived terms
flashy
camera flash
flash flood
flash memory
flash point
flash in the pan
in a flash
Translations
trans-top|burst of light
Czech: záblesk m
Danish: glimt n, lyn n
Dutch: flits f
Finnish: välähdys
German: Blitz m
trans-mid
Russian: в�п��ка (vspýška) f, �ве�кание (sv'erkánije) n
trans-bottom
Translations to be checked
checktrans
trans-top|Translations to be checked
ttbc|Chinese: �� (sh�ngu�ng)
trans-mid
ttbc|Japanese: ����� (furasshu)
ttbc|Urdu: (jhalak)
trans-bottom
Adjective
en-adj
- context|UK|and|NZ|slang expensive|Expensive looking and attention worthy.
:(compare flashy)
Translations
trans-top|expensive looking and attention worthy
Danish: flot
Finnish: viuhahtaa / väläyttää
trans-mid
trans-bottom
Anagrams
halfs note: nonstandard form of halves.
References
R:Online Etymology Dictionary
For the sense �a short period of time�, the 1858 Notes and Queries of Martim de Albuquerque was consulted. From page 437 of the sixth volume of the second series, published in London by Bell & Dally, 186 Fleet Street, in 1858 :
:Ought we not to collect for posterity the various ways in which very short times are denoted. Besides the one at the head, there are, � in no time, in next to no time, in less than no time, in a trice, in a jiffy, in a brace of shakes, before you can say Jack Robinson, in a crack, in the squeezing of a lemon, in the doubling of your fist, in the twinkling of an eye, in a moment, in an instant, in a flash.
Category:English ergative verbs
ar:flash
de:flash
fa:flash
fr:flash
io:flash
it:flash
hu:flash
simple:flash
ta:flash
te:flash
vi:flash
tr:flash
zh:flash
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