flak

Etymology

Borrowed from German FlaK, short for Fliegerabwehrkanone (“anti aeroplane cannon”).

noun

1. Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.
   […] to consider whether the city was in February 1945 an undefended city within the meaning of the 1907 Hague Convention, it will be necessary to examine the establishment and subsequent total dispersal of the city's flak batteries, before the date of the triple blow. 1964, David John Cawdell Irving, The Destruction of Dresden, page 74
   He was promoted to general of flak artillery on March 1, 1945, and ended the war as the general of the flak arm at OKL, the High Command of the Luftwaffe. 2007, Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr., Retreat to the Reich: The German Defeat in France, 1944, footnote, page 30
2. Anti-aircraft shell fire.
   At 1057 we were just over the islands and at 1100 the tail gunner reported flak at six o'clock, below. November 29 1943, “Target: Germany”, in Life, page 80
   1984, Steve Harris, "Aces High", Iron Maiden, Powerslave. There goes the siren that warns of the air raid / Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak / Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne / Got to get up for the coming attack.
   I could hear the fragments from the flak shells hitting the plane like someone throwing rocks at it. 1999, Brian O'Neill, Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer, page 118
3. (figurative, informal) Adverse criticism.
   There’s always been a built-in backlash against big-scale caprices like Raiders of the Lost Ark from people who think that $20 million should be spent on more than entertainment for its own sake. Raiders may also get flak for not being as cuddly-lovable as Star Wars, or for using those old reliables – the Nazis – as villains, or for dazzling the audience with an almost brazen self-confidence. June 25, 1981, Michael Sragow, “Inside ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ - The ultimate Saturday matinee”, in Rolling Stone
   This filter Herman and Chomsky call “flak,” which refers to letters, speeches, phone calls, and other forms of group and individual complaints. Advertisers and broadcasters avoid programming content that might cause large volumes of flak. 1990, Joel H. Spring, The American School, 1642-1990, page 380
   Alex McLeish, perhaps mindful of the flak he has been taking from sections of the Villa support for a perceived negative style of play, handed starts to wingers Charles N'Zogbia and Albrighton. December 10, 2011, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC Sport
   More flak was aimed at the Treasury's apparent lack of marketing skills, when it was argued that its idea of how to sell tickets was along the lines of "you can get two tickets for the price of two", and it lacks the sales and promotional skills of the train operating companies which are needed to boost revenue. January 12 2022, Tom Allett, “Network News: MPs concerned at Treasury's influence on rail industry”, in RAIL, number 948, page 13
4. (informal) A public-relations spokesperson.
   2006, Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, A Propaganda Model, in 2006 [2001], Meenakshi Gigi Durham, Douglas Kellner (editors), Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, revised edition, page 277, AIM head, Reed Irvine's diatribes are frequently published, and right-wing network flaks who regularly assail the “liberal media,” such as Michael Ledeen, are given Op-ed column space, sympathetic reviews, and a regular place on talk shows as experts.