flashy

English

Etymology

From flash +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• enPR: flăsh'ē, IPA^(key): /ˈflæʃi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -æʃi

Adjective

flashy (comparative flashier, superlative flashiest)

1. Showy; visually impressive, attention-getting, or appealing.

   The dancers wore flashy costumes featuring shiny sequins in many vibrant colors.

2. (of a river) Marked by frequent variations in water amount (compare flash flood).
   • 2014 May 8, S. M. Haslam, River Plants of Western Europe, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 24:

     Flow criteria were used for classification […] The criteria chosen were […] (4) the rate of change of flow with time (logged serial correlation coefficients are 0.2 in flashy rivers, but up to 0.98 in stable ones); and (5) the velocity associated with average daily flows (this varies from 1.03 m/s in flashy rivers to 0.08 m/s in lowland ones).

3. (dated, poetic) Flashing; producing flashes.

   a flashy light

   • 1826, Benjamin Apthorp Gould, The Works of Vergil: Translated into English Prose:

     […] the accustomed warmth pierced his marrow, and ran thrilling through his shaken bones; just as when at times, with forked thunder burst, a chinky stream of fire in flashy lightning shoots athwart the skies.

4. (archaic) Drunk; tipsy.
   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     Indeed, he was 'dithguthted' at his condition; and if upon the occasion just described he had allowed himself to be somewhat 'intoxicated with liquor,' I must aver that I do not recollect another instance in which this worthy little gentleman suffered himself to be similarly overtaken. Now and then a little 'flashy' he might be, but nothing more serious—and rely upon it, this was no common virtue in those days.

Synonyms

• (visually impressive): See also Thesaurus:gaudy
• (producing flashes): blinking, fulgorous
• (drunk): See also Thesaurus:drunk

Translations

showy; visually impressive, attention-getting, or appealing

• Finnish: koreileva (fi)
• French: tape-à-l’œil (fr)
• Galician: ostentoso m, rechamante
• Irish: péacach
• Macedonian: дре́члив (dréčliv), впе́чатлив (vpéčatliv), све́ткав (svétkav), све́тол (svétol), бле́скав (bléskav)
• Maori: hahaki
• Persian: پرزرق‌وبرق (por-zarq-o-barq)
• Russian: показно́й (ru) (pokaznój), крича́щий (ru) (kričáščij), броса́ющийся в глаза́ (brosájuščijsja v glazá), крикли́вый (ru) (kriklívyj), броский (ru) (broskij)
• Scots: fantoush
• Spanish: llamativo (es), ostentoso (es), chillón (es), vistoso (es)

Anagrams

• fly ash