flash

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flash

1. verb, slang To expose one's nudity indecently. There have been reports of a man in Central Park flashing tourists as they walk by. A: "Did you hear that someone got busted for flashing at the mall?" B: "No! I'm really glad I stayed home today." I hope that man gets help—he clearly has issues if he thinks it's OK to flash passersby.

2. noun, slang The sense of euphoria created by the use of a drug; a rush. The flash from that very first line of cocaine hooked me in an instant. I've been chasing that high ever since. Believe me, you're better off not knowing how drugs can make you feel. I wish I never had that first flash when I was a teenager. She's talking so fast that I think she's having a flash. Did you see her take anything?

3. adjective, informal Showy and attention-grabbing; stylish or ostentatious. Primarily heard in UK. He loves to wear fancy suits and drive to work in flash cars. She showed up to the party looking pretty flash. Mom, it's New Year's Eve—you should wear a dress that's a little flash.

flash on

1. To abruptly turn on, as of lights. As the man laughed manically, the lights in the haunted house flashed on, and we all ran out, screaming. I was worried the power would be out for a while, but the lights flashed on in less than 30 minutes. Thankfully, the overhead lights flashed on as I was feeling around for a flashlight.

2. To illuminate someone or something. I repositioned my lamp so that it flashed on the things I'd dropped behind my bureau. Dude, if that police spotlight flashes on us, we're done! I was startled when my headlights flashed on a deer crossing the highway.

3. slang To think of or recall something. It took some time, but we finally flashed on a solution to that problem. Please tell me you've flashed on that guy's name because I can't think of it at all. I need to flash on an offer they'll actually accept. How can I sweeten the deal for them?

flash

1. n. something suddenly remembered; something suddenly thought of. I had a flash and quickly wrote it down.

2. n. a very short period of time; an instant. (see also in a flash.) I’ll be there in a flash.

3. tv. to display something briefly. You’d better not flash a wad like that around here. You won’t have it long.

4. in. to display one’s private parts briefly. She flashed briefly, providing the show that people came to see, and left the stage.

5. n. a drink of liquor. Here, have a little flash, and let’s chat a little longer.

See:

References in classic literature ?

Now and again their faces became white, as the lightning flashed, and finally a terrific crash came, making the panes of the skylight lift at the joints.

A yellow light flashed across the blue window, and for a second they saw the green trees outside.

View in context

Looking less at photographs themselves and more at the discourse around flash (and its representations), Flint focuses on the experience of 'flashing', or being 'flashed', the distinctive features of the aesthetics of flash, and the cultural connotations of flash photography.

Light exposure: Flash photography has always been more useful than respectable

Male fish shied away from whichever model flashed its eyes.

Guys roll eyes: fish show some eyeball to their rivals

A blob of styrene poking out from the wires of the opened electrical box attested to a thoroughly flashed manifold.