n.; pl. Flashes 1. A sudden burst of light; a flood of light instantaneously appearing and disappearing; a momentary blaze; as, a flash of lightning. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A sudden and brilliant burst, as of wit or genius; a momentary brightness or show. [ 1913 Webster ]

The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

No striking sentiment, no flash of fancy. Wirt. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The time during which a flash is visible; an instant; a very brief period; as, I'll be back in a flash. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

The Persians and Macedonians had it for a flash. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A preparation of capsicum, burnt sugar, etc., for coloring and giving a fictitious strength to liquors. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A lamp for providing intense momentary light to take a photograph; as, to take a picture without a flash.
Syn. -- flashbulb, photoflash, flash lamp, flashgun. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

6. Same as flashlight. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

7. (Journalism) A short news item providing recently received and usually preliminary information about an event that is considered important enough to interrupt normal broadcasting or other news delivery services; also called a news flash or bulletin. [ PJC ]

Flash light, or
Flashing light, a kind of light shown by lighthouses, produced by the revolution of reflectors, so as to show a flash of light every few seconds, alternating with periods of dimness. Knight. --
Flash in the pan, the flashing of the priming in the pan of a flintlock musket without discharging the piece; hence, sudden, spasmodic effort that accomplishes nothing. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Flashed p. pr. & vb. n. Flashing. ] [ Cf. OE. flaskien, vlaskien to pour, sprinkle, dial. Sw. flasa to blaze, E. flush, flare. ] 1. To burst or break forth with a sudden and transient flood of flame and light; as, the lighting flashes vividly; the powder flashed. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To break forth, as a sudden flood of light; to burst instantly and brightly on the sight; to show a momentary brilliancy; to come or pass like a flash. [ 1913 Webster ]

Names which have flashed and thundered as the watch words of unnumbered struggles. Talfourd. [ 1913 Webster ]

The object is made to flash upon the eye of the mind. M. Arnold. [ 1913 Webster ]

A thought flashed through me, which I clothed in act. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To burst forth like a sudden flame; to break out violently; to rush hastily. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every hour
He flashes into one gross crime or other. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

flash in the pan, a failure or a poor performance, especially after a normal or auspicious start; also, a person whose initial performance appears augur success but who fails to achieve anything notable. From 4th pan, n., sense 3 -- part of a flintlock. Occasionally, the powder in the pan of a flintlock would flash without conveying the fire to the charge, and the ball would fail to be discharged. Thus, a good or even spectacular beginning that eventually achieves little came to be called a flash in the pan. --
To flash in the pan, to fail of success, especially after a normal or auspicious start. [ Colloq. ] See under Flash, a burst of light. Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Syn. -- Flash, Glitter, Gleam, Glisten, Glister. Flash differs from glitter and gleam, denoting a flood or wide extent of light. The latter words may express the issuing of light from a small object, or from a pencil of rays. Flash differs from other words, also, in denoting suddenness of appearance and disappearance. Flashing differs from exploding or disploding in not being accompanied with a loud report. To glisten, or glister, is to shine with a soft and fitful luster, as eyes suffused with tears, or flowers wet with dew. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To send out in flashes; to cause to burst forth with sudden flame or light. [ 1913 Webster ]

The chariot of paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To convey as by a flash; to light up, as by a sudden flame or light; as, to flash a message along the wires; to flash conviction on the mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Glass Making) To cover with a thin layer, as objects of glass with glass of a different color. See Flashing, n., 3 (b). [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To trick up in a showy manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Limning and flashing it with various dyes. A. Brewer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. [ Perh. due to confusion between flash of light and plash, splash. ] To strike and throw up large bodies of water from the surface; to splash. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He rudely flashed the waves about. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Flashed glass. See Flashing, n., 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. flasche, flaske; cf. OF. flache, F. flaque. ] 1. A pool. [ Prov. Eng. ] Haliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Engineering) A reservoir and sluiceway beside a navigable stream, just above a shoal, so that the stream may pour in water as boats pass, and thus bear them over the shoal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Flash wheel (Mech.), a paddle wheel made to revolve in a breast or curved water way, by which water is lifted from the lower to the higher level. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Showy, but counterfeit; cheap, pretentious, and vulgar; as, flash jewelry; flash finery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wearing showy, counterfeit ornaments; vulgarly pretentious; as, flash people; flash men or women; -- applied especially to thieves, gamblers, and prostitutes that dress in a showy way and wear much cheap jewelry. [ 1913 Webster ]

Flash house, a house frequented by flash people, as thieves and whores; hence, a brothel. “A gang of footpads, reveling with their favorite beauties at a flash house.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Slang or cant of thieves and prostitutes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a transition (in literary or theatrical works or films) to an earlier event or scene; also, the scene thus introduced. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. An unusually vivid recollection of a prior experience, often one that is traumatic, such as scenes from combat or a criminal assault, or induced by hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD; when accompanied by hallucinations it is called flashback hallucinosis. [ PJC ]

n. A board placed temporarily upon a milldam, to raise the water in the pond above its usual level; a flushboard. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

. A variety of water-tube boiler, used chiefly in steam automobiles, consisting of a nest of strong tubes with very little water space, kept nearly red hot so that the water as it trickles drop by drop into the tubes is immediately flashed into steam and superheated. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. a lamp for providing intense momentary light to take a photograph.
Syn. -- flash, photoflash, flash lamp, flashgun. [ WordNet 1.5 ]