Flambustious, adj. (American).—Showy; gaudy; pleasant. 1868. Putnam’s Magazine. We will have a flambustious time. [Cf., Shakspeare (1608), Antony and Cleopatra, iii., 11. Let’s have one other gaudy night.] Flamdoodle, subs. (American).—Nonsense; vain boasting. Probably a variant of flapdoodle (q.v.). 1888. New York Sun. We wasn’t goin’ to have any high falutin’ flamdoodle business over him. Flame, subs. (colloquial).—1. A sweetheart; a mistress in keeping. Old flame = an old lover; a cast-off mistress. Also (2) a venereal disease. b. 1664. d. 1721. Mathew Prior [in Palgrave’s “Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics,” ed. 1885]. Euphelia serves to grace my measure, but Chloe is my real flame. 1757. Foote, Author, Act I. Let’s see, Mr. and Mrs. Cadwallader, and your flame, the sister, as I live. 1846–8. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, ch. xiv. On this Rebecca instantly stated that Amelia was engaged to be married to a Lieutenant Osborne, a very old flame. 1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v. Flamer, subs. (colloquial).—A man, woman, thing, or incident above the common. [Literally conspicuous to flaming point, i.e., as a light in the dark]. For synonyms, see Stunner. 1840. H. Cockton, Valentine Vox, ch. ii. Concocting a criticism on the evening’s performance, which certainly was, according to the signor’s own acknowledgment, a regular flamer. Flames, subs. (old).—A red-haired person. Cf., Carrots and Ginger. 1823. Jon Bee, Dict. of the Turf, etc., p. 79. Who should I fling my precious ogles upon but flames—she as lived at the ‘Blue Posts.’ Flaming, ppl. adj. (colloquial).—Conspicuous; ardent; stunning (q.v.). For synonyms, see A 1 and Fizzing. 1738. Swift, Polite Conv., Dialogue II. Lord Sparkish. My Lady Smart, your ladyship has a very fine scarf. Lady Smart. Yes, my lord, it will make a flaming figure in a country church. 1776. Rubrick, The Spleen, ii. I’ll send a flaming paragraph of their wedding to all the newspapers. 1872. Besant and Rice. Ready Money Mortiboy, ch. xxx. He called one of the children, and sent her for a bill. She presently returned with a flaming poster. Flanderkin, subs. (old).—See quot. 1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew, s.v. A very large fat man or horse; also natives of that country. Flanders Fortunes, subs. phr. (old).—Of small substance.—B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew (1690). Flanders Pieces, subs. phr. (old).—See quot. 1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew. Flanders pieces, pictures that look fair at a distance, but coarser near at hand. Flank, verb (common).—1. To crack a whip; also, to hit a mark with the lash of one. 1830. Sir E. B. Lytton, Paul Clifford (ed. 1854), p. 18. He then, taking up a driving whip, flanked a fly from the opposite wall.