flak

Related to flak: flak jacket

flak

Criticism or judgment. It is a shortening of the German word Fliegerabwehrkanone, meaning "anti-aircraft gun." Come on, I'm trying my best—stop giving me so much flak.

get flak

To receive a lot of criticism, judgment, or teasing. Because I'm in a family full of surgeons, I get a lot of flak for my career in the arts.
See also: flak, get
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

get/take (the) ˈflak (for something)

(informal) receive severe criticism: He’s taken a lot of flak for his unpopular decisions. Why do I always get the flak when something goes wrong around here?
Flak is bullets from guns on the ground that are shooting at enemy aircraft.
See also: flak, get, take
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

flak

and flack (flæk)
1. n. complaints; criticism; negative feedback. (Originally referred to antiaircraft guns and the explosions and damage they caused. The first form is an initialism from German Fliegerabwehrkanonen = flyer defense cannons. I.e., the initial fl plus the first a plus the k.) Why do I have to get all the flak for what you did?
2. n. publicity; hype. Who is going to believe this flack about being first-rate?
3. n. a public relations agent or officer. The flak made an announcement and then disappeared.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • reg
  • prostie
  • prosties
  • a-hole
  • verb. sat (sap.)
  • verbum sat (sap.)
  • et seq.
  • cig
  • ad out
  • cuz
References in periodicals archive
"Flak" Houses is an import and may be difficult to find.
Always closely in touch with childrenCOs fads and crazes, the Flik Flak brand makes telling the time fun with colour-coded hour and minute numbers.
It would be now that Flak Jacket would be sent to the races, running four, maybe five times before the Goodwood contest arrived.
The city was burning, bombers were going down, flak was coming up, fighter flares were turning night into day, and we were struggling to get along in old "Able Mabel," the most venerable of all our squadron aircraft with more than 120 "ops" painted on her nose ...
Although Webster's Collegiate defines flack (alternate spelling, flak) nonpejoratively as "one who provides publicity, a press agent," Willard confesses it can be a derogatory term "unless used by someone who is one."
Today's edition of The Sun said that with the flak jacket intact, investigators could have pinpointed where the two bullets entered and whether they would have been stopped by the protective plates.
An MoD report later said he would have survived the shooting if he had been wearing tough ceramic plates in his flak jacket.
And Venus, who had groin and stomach problems before her 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 loss, admitted: "If it wasn't the Wimbledon Final the chances of me playing probably would have went down."Serena and I have taken a lot of flak, so I felt I had to take one for the team.
Flak's doubts about the Kinkade persona are not unreasonable.
Cardinal Thomas Winning of Glasgow continues to take flak, not only from politicians, but also from dissident members of his own clergy, particularly one Fr.
Before that, Intel -- the makers of Pentium processors which power many of the PCs in homes and offices -- took some flak when it was discovered that some of its Pentium II and Celeron chips were shipped with an activated serial number which could ultimately identify its users.
But only later did Donaldson learn his ABC producer, David Kaplan, had suddenly changed his mind and decided to trail him in an unprotected van marked "TV," even refusing an offer of a flak jacket.
[USA], July 26 (ANI): Makeup mogul Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott faced social media flak for parking their car in a spot reserved for the people with disabilities.
15, drew flak from critics, prompting Majority Leader Rolando Andaya to 'recommit' them to the committee level.