Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
verb, flaked, flak·ing.
- flake out, Slang. to fall asleep; take a nap.
verb (intr, adverb)
- informal to collapse or fall asleep as through extreme exhaustion
noun
- a small thin piece or layer chipped off or detached from an object or substance; scale
- a small piece or particlea flake of snow
- a thin layer or stratum
- archaeol
- a fragment removed by chipping or hammering from a larger stone used as a tool or weaponSee also blade
- (as modifier)flake tool
- slang, mainly US an eccentric, crazy, or unreliable person
verb
- to peel or cause to peel off in flakes; chip
- to cover or become covered with or as with flakes
- (tr) to form into flakes
noun
- a rack or platform for drying fish or other produce
verb
- nautical another word for fake 1
noun
- (in Australia) the commercial name for the meat of the gummy shark
early 15c., “to fall in flakes,” from flake (n.). Related: Flaked; flaking.
“thin, flat piece,” early 14c., possibly from Old English *flacca “flakes of snow,” from Old Norse flak “loose or torn piece” (related to Old Norse fla “to skin,” see flay), from Proto-Germanic *flago- (cf. Middle Dutch vlac, Dutch vlak “flat, level,” Middle High German vlach, German Flocke “flake”); from PIE *plak- (1) “to be flat,” extended form of root *pele- (2) “flat, to spread” (see plane (n.1)).
- A relatively thin, sharp-edged stone fragment removed from a core or from another flake by striking or prying, serving as a tool or blade itself or as a blank for making other tools. See more at flake tool.
- A small, symmetrical, six-sided crystal of snow. Flakes can be large or small and wet or dry, depending on weather conditions. They are white in color because of their large number of reflecting surfaces.
Drop from exhaustion, faint. For example, After running the marathon, be simply flaked out on the ground. This expression possibly is derived from a now obsolete meaning of flake, “to become flabby or fall in folds.” [Slang; c. 1940]
Lie down, go to sleep, as in Homeless persons flaked out in doorways. [Slang; early 1940s]
Lose one’s nerve, as in Please don’t flake out now. [Slang; 1950s]
Go crazy; also, cause someone to go crazy. For example, She just flaked out and we had to call an ambulance, or This project is flaking us out. The usages in def. 3 and 4 probably are derived from the adjective flaky, meaning “eccentric.” [c. 1970]
Die, as in He flaked out last night. [1960s]
Surprise, astonish, as in She said she’d just been made a partner, and that flaked me out. This usage appears to be a variant of freak out. [c. 1970]