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noun · 1 syllable · /flæk/

FLACK

What does "FLACK" mean?

A press agent or publicist, especially one who promotes someone aggressively.

Meanings

  1. A publicist or public-relations spokesperson, often used dismissively. The senator's flack issued a carefully worded denial. informal
  2. To act as a publicist; to promote or hype something. He spent the week flacking his new memoir on talk shows. informal

Word origin

American slang from the 1930s; often linked to Gene Flack, a movie publicist of the era, though this origin is uncertain. Sometimes confused with 'flak' (anti-aircraft fire), a separate word from German 'Fliegerabwehrkanone'.

Remember it

A FLACK talks you up; FLAK shoots you down - one extra letter flips the whole job.

A little poem

He spins the story brighter than it ought-
the flack sells what the man himself forgot.

couplet

Wordplay

  • The publicist and the gunner had the same problem at parties: people kept mishearing 'flack' as 'flak'.

What it teaches

Be wary of any praise that someone is paid to deliver; the loudest endorsement is often the most rehearsed.

Quick facts

What does FLACK mean?

A press agent or publicist, especially one who promotes someone aggressively.

Is FLACK a valid word?

Yes — FLACK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is FLACK?

FLACK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.

Where does FLACK come from?

American slang from the 1930s; often linked to Gene Flack, a movie publicist of the era, though this origin is uncertain. Sometimes confused with 'flak' (anti-aircraft fire), a separate word from German 'Fliegerabwehrkanone'.

What can FLACK teach us?

Be wary of any praise that someone is paid to deliver; the loudest endorsement is often the most rehearsed.

How players do

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