FLASH

I. verb Etymology: Middle English flaschen, of imitative origin Date: 13th century intransitive verb rush , dash , to break forth in or like a sudden flame or flare, 3. to appear suddenly , to move with great speed , 4. to break forth or out so as to make a sudden display , to act or speak vehemently and suddenly especially in anger, 5. to give off light suddenly or in transient bursts, to glow or gleam especially with animation or passion , to change suddenly or violently into vapor , to expose one's breasts or genitals usually suddenly and briefly in public, to have sudden insight, transitive verb 1. splash , to fill by a sudden inflow of water, 2. to cause the sudden appearance of (light), to cause to burst violently into flame, c. to cause (light) to reflect, to cause (as a mirror) to reflect light, to cause (a lamp) to ~, to convey by means of ~es of light, 3. to make known or cause to appear with great speed , to display obtrusively and ostentatiously , to expose to view usually suddenly and briefly , to cover with or form into a thin layer: as, to protect against rain by covering with sheet metal or a substitute, to coat (as glass) with a thin layer (as of metal or a differently colored glass), to subject (an exposed photographic negative or positive) to a supplementary uniform exposure to light before development in order to modify detail or tone, to expose one's breasts or genitals usually suddenly and briefly to , Synonyms: see: ~ II. noun Date: 1549 1. a sudden burst of light, a movement of a flag in signaling, a sudden and often brilliant burst , a brief time , 4. show , display , a showy ostentatious person, one that attracts notice, pizzazz , thieves' slang, something ~ed: as, glimpse , look , smile , a first brief news report, ~light 2, a quick-spreading flame or momentary intense outburst of radiant heat, f. ~light 1, a device for producing a ~light for taking photographs, rush 7a, the rapid conversion of a liquid into vapor, III. adjective Date: circa 1700 1. ~y , showy , of, relating to, or characteristic of ~y people or things , of, relating to, or characteristic of persons considered social outcasts , of sudden origin and short duration , IV. adverb Date: 1970 by very brief exposure to an intense altering agent (as heat or cold)