<B>flotsam, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea. Legally it belongs to the original owner, though finders may claim salvage. <BR><I>expr. <B>flotsam and jetsam,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>wreckage or cargo found floating on the sea or washed ashore. </I> <I>Ex. To the Lord High Admiral belongs ... a share of all lawful prizes, lagan, flotsam and jetsam (John Chamberlayne).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) odds and ends; useless things. <BR> <I>Ex. a mind stored with a mass of flotsam and jetsam of useless information. "Why is it," he remarked thoughtfully, "that one's furniture in the process of being moved invariably looks like the flotsam and jetsam of a slum clearance project?" (John Stephen Strange).</I> <DD><B> c. </B>people without steady work or permanent homes. <BR> <I>Ex. The slums are filled with the flotsam and jetsam of humanity.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="flotsan">
<B>flotsan, </B>noun. <B>=flotsam.</B></DL>
<A NAME="flounce">
<B>flounce</B> (1), verb, <B>flounced,</B> <B>flouncing,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to go with an angry or impatient fling of the body. <BR> <I>Ex. She flounced out of the room in a rage.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make floundering movements; twist and turn; jerk. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an angry or impatient fling of the body. <DD><B> 2. </B>a floundering movement; twisting and turning; jerk. </DL>
<A NAME="flounce">
<B>flounce</B> (2), noun, verb, <B>flounced,</B> <B>flouncing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a wide strip of cloth, gathered along the top edge and sewed to a dress, skirt, or other clothing, for trimming; a wide ruffle. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to trim with a flounce or flounces. <BR> <I>Ex. The bouffant skirt floats over a flounced white petticoat (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<B>flouncing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>material for flounces. <DD><B> 2. </B>a flounce or flounces. </DL>
<A NAME="flouncy">
<B>flouncy, </B>adjective, <B>flouncier,</B> <B>flounciest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>fluffed out; bouffant. <BR> <I>Ex. blonde and redhead girls, flouncy skirts flying (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>trimmed with a flounce or flounces. <BR> <I>Ex. flouncy lampshades and period furniture (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="flounder">
<B>flounder</B> (1), verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to struggle awkwardly without making much progress; plunge about. <BR> <I>Ex. The horses were floundering in the deep snowdrifts.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to be clumsy or confused and make mistakes. <BR> <I>Ex. The girl was frightened by the audience and floundered through her song.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> the act or fact of floundering. </DL>
<A NAME="flounder">
<B>flounder</B> (2), noun, pl. <B>-ders</B> or (collectively) <B>-der.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of flatfish that live in salt water and are much used for food. The flounder has a large mouth, a nearly white underside and an upper side that takes on the color of the sea floor where it lives. </DL>
<A NAME="flour">
<B>flour, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a fine, powdery meal made by grinding and sifting the kernels of wheat or other grain. Flour is used to make bread, rolls, cake, and other baked goods. <DD><B> 2. </B>any fine, soft powder. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cover or sprinkle with flour. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) to grind and sift (grain) into flour. <DD><I>v.i. </I> (of mercury) to break up into dull particles coated with some sulfide and incapable of coalescing with other metals. </DL>
<A NAME="flourbeetle">
<B>flour beetle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various beetles that live on flour or mealy substances. </DL>
<A NAME="flourcorn">
<B>flour corn,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a type of corn with soft, starchy kernels grown by the Indians in the southwestern United States and in the warm areas of South America; soft corn. </DL>
<A NAME="flourish">
<B>flourish, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to grow or develop with vigor; do well; be prosperous; thrive. <BR> <I>Ex. Your radishes are flourishing. His newspaper business grew and flourished. The stars shall fade away, the sun ... Grow dim ... But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth (Joseph Addison).</I> (SYN) succeed, prosper. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to be in the best time of life or activity. <BR> <I>Ex. Shakespeare flourished during Queen Elizabeth's reign.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to make a showy display. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) to blossom; flower. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to wave (a sword, stick, arm, or other object) in the air. <BR> <I>Ex. He flourished the letter at us when he saw us.</I> (SYN) brandish. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to make a showy display of; flaunt. <BR> <I>Ex. to flourish one's wealth.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to decorate or ornament with color or designs. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of waving about in the air. <BR> <I>Ex. He gave a flourish of his hat. The donkey gave a flourish of his heels.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an extra ornament or curve in handwriting; flowing curves made with the pen. <BR> <I>Ex. He ended his signature with a flourish.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Music.) a showy trill or passage. <BR> <I>Ex. a flourish of trumpets.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>a showy display. <BR> <I>Ex. The agent showed us about the house with much flourish.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) the condition of being in the best time of life. <BR> <I>Ex. in full flourish.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>an expression used for effect in speech or writing. <DD><B> 7. </B>(Obsolete.) the state of blooming. noun <B>flourisher.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="flourishing">
<B>flourishing, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that flourishes; thriving; prospering. <BR> <I>Ex. a flourishing garden, (Figurative.) a flourishing career.</I> adv. <B>flourishingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="flourmill">
<B>flour mill,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a machine for grinding wheat or other grain into flour. <DD><B> 2. </B>a place or establishment where there is such a machine or machines. </DL>
<A NAME="flourmoth">
<B>flour moth,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a small, grayish-black moth whose larvae feed on flour, found in many parts of the world, especially in Mediterranean countries; Mediterranean flour moth. </DL>
<A NAME="floury">
<B>floury, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or like flour. <DD><B> 2. </B>covered or white with flour or powder. </DL>
<A NAME="flout">
<B>flout, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to treat with contempt or scorn; mock; scoff at. <BR> <I>Ex. The foolish boy flouted his mother's advice.</I> (SYN) taunt. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to show contempt or scorn; mock; scoff. <BR> <I>Ex. Ah, you may flout and turn up your faces (Robert Browning).</I> (SYN) jeer. <DD><I>noun </I> a contemptuous speech or act; insult; mockery; scoffing. <BR> <I>Ex. Bruise me with scorn, confound me with a flout (Shakespeare).</I> (SYN) taunt, jeer. noun <B>flouter.</B> adv. <B>floutingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="flow">
<B>flow, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to run like water; move in a current or stream. <BR> <I>Ex. A stream flows past the house. Blood flows through our bodies. Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes (Robert Burns).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to pour out; pour along. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) The crowd flowed out of the town hall and down the main street.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to move easily or smoothly; glide. <BR> <I>Ex. Light traffic flowed along the highway.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to hang loosely and waving. <BR> <I>Ex. flowing robes, a flowing tie. Her long hair flowed in the wind.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to be plentiful; be full and overflowing. <BR> <I>Ex. a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(of the tide) to flow in; rise. <DD><B> 7. </B>(Obsolete.) to be overfull. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cause to flow. <DD><B> 2. </B>to cover with water or other liquid; flood. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a thing that flows; current; stream. <BR> <I>Ex. There is a constant flow of water from the spring.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) any smooth, steady movement like that of water in a river. <BR> <I>Ex. a rapid flow of speech, the flow of traffic. A bird sings the self-same song with never a fault in its flow (Thomas Hardy).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the act or way of flowing. <BR> <I>Ex. a flow of blood. From farm to farm the Concord glides, and trails my fancy with its flow (James Russell Lowell).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the rate of flowing. <BR> <I>Ex. a flow of two feet per second.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>the flowing of the tide toward the shore; rise of the tide. <BR> <I>Ex. Each wavelet on the ocean toss'd Aids in the ebb-tide or the flow (Charles Mackay).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>an overflowing; flooding. <BR> <I>Ex. the flows of the Nile.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Physics.) the directional movement in a current or stream that is a characteristic of all fluids, such as air or electricity. <BR> <I>Ex. The flow of cosmic ray energy is just about the same as the energy-flow in starlight (E. P. George).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="flowage">
<B>flowage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of flowing; flow. <DD><B> 2. </B>the state of being flooded. <DD><B> 3. </B>the fluid that flows or floods. <DD><B> 4. </B>the gradual internal alteration in structure of a viscous solid, such as asphalt, by intermolecular movement. </DL>
<B>flow chart,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a diagram or chart showing the flow of supplies, equipment, or information, in an industrial, military, or other operation; flow sheet. </DL>
