Flakey

[fley-kee] /ˈfleɪ ki/

adjective, flakier, flakiest.
1.
of or like .
2.
lying or cleaving off in or layers.
3.
Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy:
a flaky math professor.
/ˈfleɪkɪ/
adjective flakier, flakiest
1.
like or made of flakes
2.
tending to peel off or break easily into flakes
3.
(US, slang) Also flakey. eccentric; crazy
adj.

1570s, from flake + -y (2). Meaning “eccentric, crazy” first recorded 1959, said to be American English baseball slang, but probably from earlier druggie slang flake “cocaine” (1920s). Flake “eccentric person” is a 1968 back-formation from it.

The term ‘flake’ needs explanation. It’s an insider’s word, used throughout baseball, usually as an adjective; someone is considered ‘flaky.’ It does not mean anything so crude as ‘crazy,’ but it’s well beyond ‘screwball’ and far off to the side of ‘eccentric.’ [“New York Times,” April 26, 1964]

adjective

Related Terms

flake

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[fley-kee] /ˈfleɪ ki/ adjective, flakier, flakiest. 1. of or like . 2. lying or cleaving off in or layers. 3. Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy: a flaky math professor. /ˈfleɪkɪ/ adjective flakier, flakiest 1. like or made of flakes 2. tending to peel off or break easily into flakes 3. (US, slang) Also flakey. eccentric; crazy […]
Flaking
[fleyk] /fleɪk/ noun 1. a small, flat, thin piece, especially one that has been or become detached from a larger piece or mass: flakes of old paint. 2. any small piece or mass: a flake of snow. 3. a stratum or layer. 4. Slang. an eccentric person; screwball. 5. Slang. . 6. a usually broad, […]
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Flak-suit
noun, U.S. Air Force. 1. a suit of two or more padded armored garments designed to protect the body from shrapnel.
Flaky
[fley-kee] /ˈfleɪ ki/ adjective, flakier, flakiest. 1. of or like . 2. lying or cleaving off in or layers. 3. Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy: a flaky math professor. /ˈfleɪkɪ/ adjective flakier, flakiest 1. like or made of flakes 2. tending to peel off or break easily into flakes 3. (US, slang) Also flakey. eccentric; crazy […]