flake off
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flake off
1. To fall or break away (from something) in small bits or fragments. Ugh, look at all the glitter that flaked off my birthday cards. A bunch of paint has flaked off the outside of the house. I think it's about time to repaint it. When I finally managed to jerk the window open, pollen flaked off the windowsill.
2. To cause something to fall from something else in small bits or pieces. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is usually used between "flake" and "off." Hey, stop touching the wall—you're flaking the paint off it! A: "There's no need to flake off your nail polish, you know." B: "Well, it had already chipped, and it was bugging me." Why do the kids feel the need to flake the fake snow off the Christmas decorations?
3. slang To ignore a planned event or responsibility, often to do something frivolous instead. I flaked off class this afternoon and went to the mall instead. Tom and I were supposed to go on a date tonight, but he totally flaked off! Of course your girlfriend's frustrated if you keep flaking off to hang out with your friends!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
flake off (of) something
[for bits of something] to break away from the whole, perhaps under pressure or because of damage. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) Little bits of marble began to flake off the marble steps. Bits flaked off from the whole.
flake something off of something
and flake something offto make bits or flakes break off from the whole. The sculptor flaked bits of stone off the block, but you could not yet see what the block was going to become. She flaked off a little more.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
flake off
v.
1. To break away from a surface in small, flat pieces: Rust is flaking off of the old pipes. Paint chips are flaking off from the ceiling.
2. Slang To fail to do something out of lack of interest; blow something off: Last night I flaked off doing the dishes because I was tired.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.