inflammable liquid — = flammable liquid: No inflammable liquid or inflammable substance shall be unloaded, loaded, transported or kept except in accordance with regulations. flapjack (UK) • flapjack (U.S.) flapjack (UK)—a flat cake made from rolled oats, fat, brown sugar and syrup or honey: Not sure if it’s usual for British people to eat flapjacks for breakfast, it just happened to be in my line of sight… flapjack (U.S.)—a thin crispy pancake of large diameter, commonly measuring 12” or more: There’s much more on pro- viding life’s basics: …how to skin a bear, blaze a trail, cook flapjacks on a flat rock. flashing light • flashlight flashing light—a lighting device, used in lighthouses, etc., giving forth sudden flashes: Another change has been the dis- placement of the semaphore-type of direction indicator by flashing light signals. flashlight—1. = flashing light: The practice of a flashlight on sails as something approaches in the darkness is a good one. 2. (also: flash-lamp) a portable electric lamp: Barry examined them by the same pencil flashlight —a tiny streak of illumi- nation. 3. an intense flash of light produced in cameras: The paranormal displacement of a handkerchief actuated electri- cally the flashlight by which this photograph was taken. flea bite • flea-bitten flea bite—a trifling inconvenience; a small problem: The great Battle of Marathon was a mere flea-bite for an empire that stretched from India to Egypt. flea-bitten —said of smth. worn and broken down by hard use: Up to now the landlords have held back from replacing any of the old flea-bitten furniture. flight deck • flying deck flight deck —1. the uppermost deck of an aircraft carrier serv- ing as landing and takeoff area: Brown successfully took off in about half the length of the flight deck . 2. the forward com- partment in some airplanes used by the pilot, copilot and flight engineer: Rebel snipers fired on one of the planes and hit it. One shot went through the flight deck . flying deck—1. = flight deck 1: The “Vindex” was the first ship to be fitted with a forward hangar and flying deck . 2. a deck on a ship supported at the side by railings: A search- light, which had been fitted up on the flying-deck of the steamer, had an extraordinary effect upon the natives. fling something away • fling something off fling something away —1. throw smth. away; get rid of smth. unwanted: Let’s fling that old furniture away and buy some new. 2. waste smth. such as an opportunity, etc.: You shouldn’t fling away a chance like that. 3. say smth. casually or carelessly: You flung away that last line, we couldn’t hear you. fling something off—1. quickly remove one’s clothing: It’s good to fling off heavy clothing now that spring is here. 2. get free from smth.; discard smth.: In a new job, one should fling off old habits of thought. 3. release or produce heat, smell, etc.: When this material burns, it flings off a nasty smell. 4. write or compose smth. quickly and easily: I can fling off a poem in half an hour. 5. = fling something away 3: Before you fling off a remark like that, think what you are saying. float someone’s boat • paddle one’s own canoe float someone’s boat—(coll.) said of smth. that excites or interests a person: He describes himself as a music addict— music theatre, in particular, really floats his boat . paddle one’s own canoe—(also: hoe one’s own row) be inde- pendent; follow one’s interests or inclination: The Labor Party wished, as it were, to paddle its own canoe —to build in Britain a show-house of democratic socialism. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase blow one’s own trumpet—(also: ring one’s own bell) announce one’s own successes; praise oneself: Jim is very good at blowing his own trumpet : to listen to him, one would think he was the only man who could do the job. flog a dead horse • work for a dead horse flog a dead horse—(also: beat a dead horse) pursue a futile goal; try to revive interest in a dead issue: You can see it in the players’ eyes and faces they’re totally fed up with playing. You’re flogging a dead horse . work for a dead horse—(also: work out the dead horse) do work for which payment has been made in advance: For the first month at sea he was working for nothing—in other words he was working for a “dead horse .” floor girl • floor woman floor girl—a woman to run errands and do odd jobs about a shop: The floor girl directed me to an area where she would fetch and introduce me to the store manager. floor woman—a woman employed to supervise a group of working women in a factory, etc.: I had a knowledge of sewing and because of this experience I was put over a group of women as “floor woman .” floor-walker • walk the floor floor-walker —a person employed in a large store to direct customers, oversee sales, etc.: I next went into a store further up Broadway. When I entered I approached the floor-walker . walk the floor—pace nervously across the floor, especially while waiting: While Bill waited for news of the operation, he walked the floor for hours on end. floral clock • Horologe of Flora floral clock —1. a large public clock set out in colorful plants on the ground: One of Edinburgh’s most popular attractions, the Floral Clock is located in West Princes Street Gardens. 2. an arrangement of plants that open or close at certain times: Few of us would want to plant an entire garden as a floral clock . Horologe of Flora—(also: Horologium Florae) = floral clock 2: Telling time by flowers goes back to the first century and Pliny who devised a “Horologe of Flora .” Flowery Land • Flowery Nation Flowery Land—1. (also: Flowery Empire) said of China: The sight of the rickshaw carried me back to the Flowery Land . 2. (U.S.) said of the State of Florida: Spain continued sending explorers to Florida…. But France also coveted the flowery land . Flowery Nation— = Flowery Land 1: The beautiful fabric we call silk, sir, came from the Flowery Nation . flowery language • language of flowers flowery language—the use of fine words and phrases to embellish a narration: Linneus devised a kind of Latin suitable for concise descriptions: animals and plants were not to be written up in flowery language . language of flowers—a way of expressing one’s sentiments by means of flowers: She looked into the bouquet, to see whether there was a billet-doux hidden…. “Do they talk the language of flowers at Boggley Wollah, Sedley?” asked Osborne, laughing. fly a kite • go fly a kite fly a kite—1. say or do smth. with the intention of testing other people’s reaction to it: I thought that here I would fly flapjack – 122 –