[five o'clock shadow] <n. phr.> A very short growth of beard on a man's face who did shave in the morning but whose beard is so strong that it is again visible in the afternoon. * /"You have a five o'clock shadow, honey," Irene said, "and we're going to the opera. Why don't you shave again quickly?"/
[fix] See: GET A FIX or GIVE SOMEONE A FIX, GET A FIX ON.
[fix someone's wagon] or [fix someone's little red wagon] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. (Said to a child as a threat) to administer a spanking. * /Stop that right away or I'll fix your (little red) wagon!/ 2. (Said of an adult) to thwart or frustrate another, to engineer his failure. * /If he sues me for slander, I will counter-sue him for malicious prosecution. That will fix his wagon!/
[fix someone up with] <v. phr.>, <informal> To help another get a date with a woman or man by arranging a meeting for the two. * /Say Joe, can you possibly fix me up with someone this weekend? I am so terribly lonesome!/
[fix up] <v. phr.> 1. To repair. * /The school is having the old gym fixed up./ 2. To arrange. * /I think I can fix it up with the company so that John gets the transfer he desires. /3. To arrange a date that might lead to a romance or even to marriage. * /Mary is a great matchmaker; she fixed up Ron and Betty at her recent party./
[fizzle out] <v.>, <informal> 1. To stop burning; die out. * /The fuse fizzled out before exploding the firecracker./ 2. To fail after a good start; end in failure. * /The power mower worked fine for a while but then it fizzled out./ * /The party fizzled out when everyone went home early./
[flag down] <v.>, <informal> To stop by waving a signal flag or as if waving a signal flag. * /The signalman flagged down the freight train./ * /A policeman flagged down the car with his flashlight./
[flakeball] or [flake] <n.>, <slang>, <drug culture> A disjointed, or "flaky" person, who is forgetful and incoherent, as if under the influence of narcotics. * /Hermione is a regular flakeball./ Compare: SPACED OUT.
[flame] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME, GO UP IN FLAMES.
[flanker back] <n.> A football back who can play far to the outside of his regular place. * /The coach is still looking for a speedy boy to play flanker back./
[flare up] <v.> 1. To burn brightly for a short time especially after having died down. * /The fire flared up again and then died./ 2. To become suddenly angry. * /The mayor flared up at the reporter's remark./ * /The mother flared up at her children./ 3. To begin again suddenly, especially for a short time after a quiet time. * /Mr. Gray's arthritis flared up sometimes./ * /Even after they had conquered the country, revolts sometimes flared up./
[flare-up] <n.> The reoccurrence of an infection or an armed conflict. * /He had a flare-up of his arthritis./ * /There was a bad flare-up of hostilities in some countries./
[flash] See: IN A FLASH.
[flash card] <n.> A card with numbers or words on it that is used in teaching, a class. * /The teacher used flash cards to drill the class in addition./
[flash in the pan] <n. phr.>, <slang> A person or thing that starts out well but does not continue. * /The new quarterback was a flash in the pan./ * /Mary got 100 on the first test in arithmetic but it was just a flash in the pan because she failed in arithmetic./
[flat] See: FALL FLAT, IN NO TIME or IN NOTHING FLAT, LEAVE FLAT.
[flat as a pancake] <adj. phr.> Very level; very flat; having no mountains or hills. * /A great part of the American Midwest is as flat as a pancake./
[flat broke] See: STONE-BROKE.
[flatfoot] <n.>, <slang>, <derogatory> A policeman. * /"What does Joe do for a living? - He's a flatfoot."/
[flat-footed] <adj.>, <informal> 1. Straightforward; forthright; direct; outright. * /The governor issued a flat-footed denial of the accusation./ * /He came out flat-footed against the idea./ 2. Not ready; not prepared; - usually used with "catch". * /The teacher's question caught Tim flat-footed./ * /Unexpected company at lunch time caught Mrs. Green flat-footed./
[flat-out] <adv. phr.>, <informal> 1. Without hiding anything; plainly; openly. * /The student told his teacher flat-out that he was not listening to her./ 2. At top speed; as fast as possible. * /He saw two men running flat-out from the wild rhinoceros./
[flatter oneself] To be sure of your own talent or skill; highly confident. * /I flatter myself that I am a better swimmer than he is./
[flea in one's ear] <n. phr.>, <informal> An idea or answer that is not welcome; an annoying or surprisingly sharp reply or hint. * /I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more./
[flea market] <n. phr.> A place where antiques, second-hand things, and cheap articles are sold, and especially one in the open air. * /The local antique dealers held a flea market and fair on the high-school athletic field./ * /There are many outdoor flea markets in Europe./
[flesh] See: IN PERSON also IN THE FLESH, NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL also NEITHER FISH, FLESH, NOR FOWL, PRESS THE FLESH, THORN IN THE FLESH.
[flesh and blood] <n.> 1. A close relative (as a father, daughter, brother); close relatives. Used in the phrase "one's own flesh and blood". * /Such an answer from her - and she's my own flesh and blood, too!/ 2. The appearance of being real or alive. * /The author doesn't give his characters any flesh and blood./ 3. The human body. * /Before child labor laws, small children often worked 50 or 60 hours a week in factories. It was more than flesh and blood could bear./
[flesh out] <v.>, <informal> 1. To add to; make fuller, bigger, or longer. * /The author fleshed out his story by adding more about his war experiences./ 2. also [flesh up] To become heavier, put on weight, or flesh. * /He lost weight after his illness but is beginning to flesh out again./ See: FILL OUT.
[flesh up] See: FLESH OUT(2).
[fling oneself at] See: THROW ONESELF AT.
[fling oneself at someone's head] See: THROW ONESELF AT SOMEONE'S HEAD.
[flip-flop(1)] <v.>, <informal> To alternate the positions of; exchange the places of; switch. * /The football coach had one play in which he flip-flopped his left halfback and fullback./
[flip-flop(2)] <n.>, <informal> A complete change; a switch from one thing to an entirely different one. * /John wanted to be a carpenter like his father, but when he saw the print shop he did a flip-flop and now he's learning printing./
[flip-flop(3)] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Involving or using a change from one of two places, positions, or alternatives to the other. * /The machine was controlled by a flip-flop switch./ * /The football coach hoped to surprise his opponents by using a flip-flop offense./
[flip one's lid] also [flip one's wig] <slang> 1. To lose one's temper. * /When that pushy salesman came back Mom really flipped her lid./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE. 2. To lose your mind; become insane. * /When he offered me three times the pay I was getting, I thought he had flipped his lid./ 3. To become unreasonably enthusiastic. * /She flipped her lid over a hat she saw in the store window./ * /He's flipped his lid over that new actress./
[flip out] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> To go insane, to go out of one's mind. * /A is impossible to talk to Joe today - he must have flipped out./
[flock] See: BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.
[floor] See: GROUND FLOOR, MOP THE FLOOR WITH, WALK THE FLOOR.
[floor one] <v. phr.> To overwhelm; astound; nonplus. * /John's sudden announcement that he would retire floored all of us in the office./
[floorwalker] <n.> A section manager in a department store. * /To exchange this pair of shoes, you must first get the floorwalker's approval./
[flop] See: FLIP-FLOP.
[flower child] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A young person who believes in nonviolence and carries flowers around to symbolize his peace-loving nature. * /Flower children are supposed to be nonviolent, but they sure make a lot of noise when they demonstrate!/ 2. Any person who cannot cope with reality. * /"Face facts, Suzie, stop being such a flower child!"/
[flower power] <n.>, <slang> The supposed power of love and nonviolence as intended to be used by members of the anti-culture to change American society. * /The young people were marching for flower power./
[fluff one's lines] See: BLOW ONE'S LINES.
[fluff stuff] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> Snow. * /We can expect some fluff stuff this afternoon./
[flunk out] <v. phr.> To have to withdraw from school or college because of too many failing grades. * /Fred flunked out of college during his junior year./
[flush it] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To fail (something). * /I really flushed it in my math course./ 2. <interj.>, <used imperatively> Expression registering refusal to believe something considered stupid or false. * /"You expect me to buy that story? Flush it!"/
[fly] See: BIRD HAS FLOWN, GO FLY A KITE, MAKE THE FEATHERS FLY, MAKE THE FUR FLY, ON THE FLY, POP FLY, SACRIFICE FLY.
[fly at one's throat] <v. phr.> To attack you suddenly with great anger. * /When Tom called Dick a bad name, Dick flew at his throat./
[fly ball] <n.> A baseball hit high into the air. * /He hit an easy fly ball to center field./