| flash | |
| 1. v. To briefly illuminate a scene. | |
| He flashed the light at the water, trying to see what made the noise. | |
| 2. v. To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently. | |
| The light flashed on and off. | |
| 3. v. To be visible briefly. | |
| The scenery flashed by quickly. | |
| 4. v. To make visible briefly. | |
| A number will be flashed on the screen. | |
| The special agents flashed their badges as they entered the building. | |
| She flashed me a smile from the car window. | |
| 5. v. (ambitransitive, informal) To briefly, and in most cases inadvertently, expose one's naked body or underwear, or part of it, in public. (Contrast streak.) | |
| Her skirt was so short that she flashed her underpants as she was getting out of her car. | |
| 6. v. (transitive, informal) To show or expose an "inappropriate" part of the body to someone for humorous reasons or as an act of contempt. | |
| 7. v. (figurative) To break forth like a sudden flood of light; to show a momentary brilliance. | |
| 8. v. To flaunt; to display in a showy manner. | |
| He flashed a wad of hundred-dollar bills. | |
| 9. v. To communicate quickly. | |
| The news services flashed the news about the end of the war to all corners of the globe. | |
| to flash a message along the telephone wires; to flash conviction on the mind | |
| 10. v. To move, or cause to move, suddenly. | |
| Flash forward to the present day. | |
| 11. v. To telephone a person, only allowing the phone to ring once, in order to request a call back. | |
| Susan flashed Jessica, and then Jessica called her back, because Susan didn't have enough credit on her phone to make the call. | |
| 12. v. (intransitive, of liquid) To evaporate suddenly. (See flash evaporation.) | |
| 13. v. (transitive, climbing) To climb (a route) successfully on the first attempt. | |
| 14. v. (computing) To write to the memory of an updatable component such as a BIOS chip or games cartridge. | |
| 15. v. (glassmaking) To cover with a thin layer, as objects of glass with glass of a different colour. | |
| 16. v. (juggling) To perform a flash. | |
| 17. v. (metallurgy) To release the pressure from a pressurized vessel. | |
| 18. v. (transitive, obsolete) To trick up in a showy manner. | |
| 19. v. (transitive, obsolete) To strike and throw up large bodies of water from the surface; to splash. | |
| 20. n. A sudden, short, temporary burst of light. | |
| 21. n. A very short amount of time. | |
| 22. n. (colloquial, US) A flashlight; an electric torch. | |
| 23. n. (figuratively) A sudden and brilliant burst, as of genius or wit. | |
| 24. n. Material left around the edge of a moulded part at the parting line of the mould. | |
| 25. n. (Britain, Cockney) The strips of bright cloth or buttons worn around the collars of market traders. | |
| 26. n. (juggling) A pattern where each prop is thrown and caught only once. | |
| 27. n. (linguistics) A language, created by a minority to maintain cultural identity, that cannot be understood by the ruling class. | |
| 28. n. (photography) (clipping of camera flash, , a device used to produce a flash of artificial light to help illuminate a scene) | |
| 29. n. (archaic) A preparation of capsicum, burnt sugar, etc., for colouring liquor to make it look stronger. | |
| 30. n. (military) A form of military insignia. | |
| I just got my first commando flash. | |
| 31. adj. (British and New Zealand, slang) Expensive-looking and demanding attention; stylish; showy. | |
| 32. adj. (of a person) Having plenty of ready money. | |
| 33. adj. (of a person) Liable to show off expensive possessions or money. | |
| 34. adj. (US, slang) Occurring very rapidly, almost instantaneously. | |
| 35. n. A pool. | |
| 36. n. (engineering) A reservoir and sluiceway beside a navigable stream, just above a shoal, so that the stream may pour in water as boats pass, and thus bear them over the shoal. | |
