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flipper

 [flip-er]   Origin

flip·per

   [flip-er]
noun
1.
a broad, flat limb, as of a seal or whale, especially adapted for swimming.
2.
Also called fin. one of a pair of paddlelike devices, usually of rubber, worn on the feet as an aid in scuba diving and swimming.
3.
Theater. a narrow flat hinged or attached at right angles to a larger flat.
4.
Slang. the hand.
5.
someone or something that flips.
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Origin:
1815–25; flip1 + -er1

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Flipper is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

flip

3   [flip]
adjective, flip·per, flip·pest. Informal.
flippant; pert.
Origin:
1840–50; adj. use of flip1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
flipper (ˈflɪpə)
 
—n
1.  the flat broad limb of seals, whales, penguins, and other aquatic animals, specialized for swimming
2.  (often plural) Also called: fin either of a pair of rubber paddle-like devices worn on the feet as an aid in swimming, esp underwater
3.  cricket a ball bowled with topspin imparted by the action of the bowler's wrist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flip
sailors' hot drink usually containing beer, brandy and sugar, 1695, from flip (v.), so called from notion of it being "whipped up" or beaten.
EXPAND

flipper
"limb used to swim with," 1822, from the verb. Sense of "rubber fin for underwater swimming" is from 1945. Slang meaning "the hand" dates from 1836. Related: Flippers.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
flipper   (flĭp'ər)  Pronunciation Key 
A wide, flat limb adapted for swimming, found on aquatic animals such as whales, seals, and sea turtles. Flippers evolved from legs.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

flip (out) definition


  1. in.
    to lose control of oneself; to go crazy. : Wow, I almost flipped out when I heard about it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Related Words
flip paddle
pinna telson
Images for flipper
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