flick

Etymology

Perhaps related to flicker.

noun

1. A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
   He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.
   She gave a disdainful flick of her hair and marched out of the room.
   On this occasion it was Nolan's deft flick that fooled West Ham's sleepy defenders Danny Gabbidon and Tomkins. The ball found its way to Best, who smashed in with confidence from the edge of the area. January 5, 2011, Saj Chowdhury, “Newcastle 0 - 0 West Ham”, in BBC
2. (informal) A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.
   My all-time favorite flick is "Gone with the Wind."
   Want to go to the flicks tonight?
3. (fencing) A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
4. (tennis) A powerful underarm volley shot.
   The fourth seed was dominating her 20-year-old opponent with a series of stinging groundstrokes and athletic drive-volleys, striking again in game five when Paszek flicked a forehand pick-up into the tramlines. June 28, 2011, David Ornstein, “Wimbledon 2011: Victoria Azarenka beats Tamira Paszek in quarters”, in BBC Sport
5. The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
6. A flitch.
   a flick of bacon
7. A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second
8. (dated, slang) A chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address.
   'All that I have, dear old flick, is yours for the asking. What can I do?' 1920, H. C. McNeile, Bulldog Drummond

verb

1. To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.
   flick one's hair
   to flick the dirt from boots
   Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic. 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall : The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Time
   the Queen, flicking the snuff off her sleeve[…] 1860, William Makepeace Thackeray, The English Humourists of the Eighteenth Century and Charity and Humour
2. To pass by rapidly, so as not to be perceived clearly.
   They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. 1997, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone