flapper means A young girl usually between the ages of 15 and 18, especially one not "out" socially.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, flapper ranks #5,841 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,100 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say, #7,127 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #7,180 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words.
flapper is pronounced /ˈflæpɚ/.
Why “flapper” is a great word
A spirited young woman of the 1920s who embodied a defiantly modern ethos through her energetic behavior, assertive freedom, and stylized, boyish fashion. Likely from the earlier slang term 'flapper' for a young wildfowl not yet able to fly properly (1747), metaphorically extended to a naive teenage girl; by the late 19th century, it was used for a girl not yet 'out' in society, with the modern sense of a bold, fashionable young woman emerging by the early 20th century (earliest documented use in this sense is 1903 in Desmond Coke's 'Sandford of Merton'). Unlike the statuesque, mature 'Gibson Girl' or the artless, sheltered 'ingénue,' the flapper was a creature of kinetic rebellion and calculated sophistication. She is the syncopated swish of a fringed dress on a Charleston floor, the deliberate click of a cigarette case in a speakeasy, and the severe geometric silhouette of a bob against a neon-lit night—a brief, brilliant avatar of a world in frantic, uncertain flight.
Etymology
possible etymologies
Possibly from Victorian sporting slang, meaning young wildfowl in August which are full-sized, tender and worthwhile quarry, but are naive and unable to fly properly due to the late development of flight feathers in ducks and geese. Alternative derivations are also suggested. The word "flap" was slang in the 17th century for a prostitute: by the late 19th century in England "flapper" could mean either a very young prostitute: or a teenage girl too old to be a child and too young to be considered 'out' in society: "A 'flapper', we may explain, is a young lady who has not yet been promoted to long frocks and the wearing of her hair 'up'".
The earliest documented use in the sense of "attractive young girl" is in the 1903 novel Sandford of Merton by Desmond Coke: "There's
noun
- A young girl usually between the ages of 15 and 18, especially one not "out" socially.e.g.“Stud's eyes roved. Plenty of girls, most of them young flappers, Loretta's age. Only a couple of years ago they were kids.”
- A young woman, especially when unconventional or without decorum or displaying daring freedom or boldness; now particularly associated with the Jazz Age of the 1920s.e.g.“I paid violent and unusual attention to a flapper all through the meal in order to make you jealous. She's probably in her cabin writing reams about me to a fellow-flapper at this very moment.”
- One who or that which flaps.
- A young game bird just able to fly, particularly a wild duck.
- A flipper; a limb of a turtle, which functions as a flipper or paddle when swimming.e.g.“the flapper of a porpoise”
- A flapper valve.e.g.“In this case, slide the collar of the flapper over the overflow tube until it seats against the bottom of the flush valve.”
- The hand.
- Any injury that results in a loose flap of skin on the fingers, making gripping difficult.
Words closest in meaning
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