flareback

[ flair-bak ]

noun

1. a blast of flame that sometimes issues from the breech of a large gun or cannon when it is opened after firing.
2. a brief, unexpected recurrence:

   a flareback of winter in May.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flareback¹

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase flare back

Example Sentences

It has happened also that destructive insects often undergo a “flareback,” or resurgence, after spraying, in numbers greater than before.

From The New Yorker

It has happened also because, for reasons to be described later, destructive insects often undergo a “flareback,” or resurgence, after spraying, in numbers greater than before.

From Literature

Caught in a flareback of history, desperate Democrats tried with might & main to wriggle out of the Harry Dexter White scandal.

From Time Magazine Archive

The new light, approved by a subcommittee of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, gives wider vision down the righthand side of the road, has greater overall range, cuts down on flareback in fog and rain, thus virtually eliminates the need for separate fog lights.

From Time Magazine Archive

Why, there, if a college student comes downtown with a flareback coat and heart-shaped trousers and one of those nifty little pompadour hats that are brushed back from the brow to give the brains a chance to grow, they arrest him for collecting a crowd and disturbing traffic.

From Project Gutenberg