flipper
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈflɪpə/
ipa: /ˈflɪpɚ/
rhymes: -ɪpə(ɹ)
Forms: form: flippers
Etymology: From flip + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Flappert (“flipper, wing”).
Senses: glosses: In marine mammals such as whales (or other aquatic animals such as sea turtles), a wide, flat limb adapted for swimming.
synonyms: swim fin
glosses: A wide, flat, paddle-like rubber covering for the foot, used in swimming.
examples: text: Early pinball machines demanded that a player shake the entire table in an effort to guide the ball through the obstacles (pins—hence the name). Later iterations had mechanical flippers like today's, but more of them—six, which were distributed three on each side up and down the body of the machine.
ref: 2012 February 24, Rebecca J. Rosen, “The Glory of the Pinball Machine”, in The Atlantic:
glosses: A flat lever in a pinball machine, triggered by the player to strike the ball and keep it in play.
examples: text: The flipper is designed to give support by standing at a 90-degree angle to the flat. It probably gets its name from its appearance: cut out like a piece of profile scenery, it resembles the flipper of a marine animal, […]
ref: 1998, Martin Harrison, The Language of Theatre, page 104:
text: When standing alone, a flat may have a small extension, a FLIPPER, for added strength.
ref: 2013, Jonathan Law, The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre:
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
theater
glosses: A small flat used to support a larger one.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A type of ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, which spins backwards and skids off the pitch with a low bounce.
glosses: Television remote control, clicker.
examples: text: Give me your flipper, old man, and tell me if I can be of any service to you. I'll do what you want at all hazards.
ref: 1888, Hélène E A. Gingold, Denyse, page 222:
synonyms: flapper
glosses: The hand.
examples: text: Dr. Woo attempts to distinguish Blakeslee by pointing out that “one can fondle a breast without having anything to do with dentistry, but one cannot take molds, fabricate and insert flippers into another person's mouth without practicing dentistry."
ref: 2005, Washington Appellate Reports, volume 128:
topics: dentistry
medicine
sciences
glosses: A kind of false tooth, usually temporary.
examples: text: Remember the mornings when you help me fix eggs and pancakes for breakfast. You always had to use the “flipper” to turn the pancakes and eggs.
ref: 2009, Amy J. Yowell, The Silent Cry, page 161:
glosses: A kitchen spatula.
examples: text: Two notable examples of Zombie Formalism would be the electroplated silver monochromes of Jacob Kassay (b. 1984) and the “Rain Paintings” of Lucien Smith (b. 1989), both recent favorites of the art flippers.
ref: 2014 April 3, Walter Robinson, “Flipping and the Rise of Zombie Formalism”, in Artspace, archived from the original on 02 Oct 2015:
topics: art
arts
business
finance
glosses: Someone who flips, in the sense of buying a house or other asset and selling it quickly for profit.
glosses: Someone who flips in any other sense, for example throwing a coin.
Derived terms: burger flipper
flipper baby
flipperless
flipperlike
flipperling
flippery
foreflipper
hindflipper
squareflipper
Related terms: fin