flak

American  

[flak] / flæk /

Or flack

noun

1. antiaircraft fire, especially as experienced by the crews of combat airplanes at which the fire is directed.

2. criticism; hostile reaction; abuse.

   Such an unpopular decision is bound to draw a lot of flak from the press.

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flak British  

/ flæk /

noun

1. anti-aircraft fire or artillery

2. informal a great deal of adverse criticism

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Etymology

Origin of flak

1935–40; < German Fl ( ieger ) a ( bwehr ) k ( anone ) antiaircraft gun, equivalent to Flieger aircraft (literally, flyer) + Abwehr defense + Kanone gun, cannon

Example Sentences

Bonus points caught some flak at the end of the Six Nations.

From BBC

Which is why SJU brought him in, agreed to absorb the flak, and offered a shot at redemption.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We need to stop having conversations and start doing something as parents get a lot of flak but everyone is trying their best."

From BBC

Treasuries have taken a lot of flak from Wall Street in recent years, because they stopped behaving like a safe haven.

From Barron's

Treasuries have taken a lot of flak from Wall Street in recent years, because they stopped behaving like a safe haven.

From Barron's