Wiktionary

flipper

See also: Flipper

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From flip +‎ -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Flappert (“flipper, wing”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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flipper (plural flippers)

  2. In marine mammals such as whales (or other aquatic animals such as sea turtles), a wide flat, limb adapted for swimming.
  3. A wide, flat, paddle-like rubber covering for the foot, used in swimming.
    Synonym: swim fin
  4. A flat lever in a pinball machine, triggered by the player to strike the ball and keep it in play.
  5. (theater) A small flat used to support a larger one.
    • 1998, Martin Harrison, The Language of Theatre, page 104:
      The flipper is designed to give support by standing at a 90-degree angle to the flat. It probably gets its name from its appearance: cut out like a piece of profile scenery, it resembles the flipper of a marine animal, […]
    • 2013, Jonathan Law, The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre:
      When standing alone, a flat may have a small extension, a FLIPPER, for added strength.
  6. (cricket) A type of ball bowled by a leg spin bowler, which spins backwards and skids off the pitch with a low bounce.
  7. (informal, US) Television remote control, clicker.
  8. (dated, slang) The hand.
    • 1888, Hélène E A. Gingold, Denyse, page 222:
      Give me your flipper, old man, and tell me if I can be of any service to you. I'll do what you want at all hazards.
  9. (dentistry) A kind of false tooth, usually temporary.
    • 2005, Washington Appellate Reports: Volume 128:
      Dr. Woo attempts to distinguish Blakeslee by pointing out that “one can fondle a breast without having anything to do with dentistry, but one cannot take molds, fabricate and insert flippers into another person's mouth without practicing dentistry."
  10. A kitchen spatula.
    • 2009, Amy J. Yowell, The Silent Cry, page 161:
      Remember the mornings when you help me fix eggs and pancakes for breakfast. You always had to use the “flipper” to turn the pancakes and eggs.
  11. Someone who flips, in the sense of buying a house or other asset and selling it quickly for profit.
  12. Someone who flips in any other sense, for example throwing a coin.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Verb

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flipper (third-person singular simple present flippers, present participle flippering, simple past and past participle flippered)

  1. To lift one or both flippers out of the water and slap the surface of the water.

Further reading

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English flipper.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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flipper m (plural flippers, diminutive flippertje n)

  1. a flipper, a fin (swimming gear)
    Synonym: zwemvlies
  2. a flipper (limb-like appendage of an aquatic animal)
    Synonym: vin
  3. a flipper, a flipper bumper (lever in a pinball machine for hitting the ball; also the input device for operating this lever)
  4. (rare) a pinball machine
    Synonym: flipperkast

Derived terms

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French

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Etymology 1

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From English flipper, the part of a pinball machine used to strike the ball up higher on the game surface.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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flipper m (plural flippers)

  1. pinball
  2. pinball machine
    Synonym: (dated) billard électrique

Further reading

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Etymology 2

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From English flip (one's lid).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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flipper

  1. (colloquial, slang) to freak out
Conjugation
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Conjugation of flipper (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple flipper
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple flippant
/fli.pɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle flippé
/fli.pe/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present flippe
/flip/ 		flippes
/flip/ 		flippe
/flip/ 		flippons
/fli.pɔ̃/ 		flippez
/fli.pe/ 		flippent
/flip/
imperfect flippais
/fli.pɛ/ 		flippais
/fli.pɛ/ 		flippait
/fli.pɛ/ 		flippions
/fli.pjɔ̃/ 		flippiez
/fli.pje/ 		flippaient
/fli.pɛ/
past historic2 flippai
/fli.pe/ 		flippas
/fli.pa/ 		flippa
/fli.pa/ 		flippâmes
/fli.pam/ 		flippâtes
/fli.pat/ 		flippèrent
/fli.pɛʁ/
future flipperai
/fli.pʁe/ 		flipperas
/fli.pʁa/ 		flippera
/fli.pʁa/ 		flipperons
/fli.pʁɔ̃/ 		flipperez
/fli.pʁe/ 		flipperont
/fli.pʁɔ̃/
conditional flipperais
/fli.pʁɛ/ 		flipperais
/fli.pʁɛ/ 		flipperait
/fli.pʁɛ/ 		flipperions
/fli.pə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		flipperiez
/fli.pə.ʁje/ 		flipperaient
/fli.pʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present flippe
/flip/ 		flippes
/flip/ 		flippe
/flip/ 		flippions
/fli.pjɔ̃/ 		flippiez
/fli.pje/ 		flippent
/flip/
imperfect2 flippasse
/fli.pas/ 		flippasses
/fli.pas/ 		flippât
/fli.pa/ 		flippassions
/fli.pa.sjɔ̃/ 		flippassiez
/fli.pa.sje/ 		flippassent
/fli.pas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — flippe
/flip/ 		— flippons
/fli.pɔ̃/ 		flippez
/fli.pe/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Further reading

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Italian

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Noun

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flipper m (invariable)

  1. pinball (game and machine)
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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French flipper, from English flipper.

Noun

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flipper n (plural flippere)

  1. pinball

Declension

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Declension of flipper
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) flipper flipperul (niște) flippere flipperele
genitive/dative (unui) flipper flipperului (unor) flippere flipperelor
vocative flipperule flipperelor

Swedish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English flip. Affix of flip +‎ -er, with a germinated p to indicate a short preceding vowel. First attested in 1963.[1]

Noun

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flipper n

  1. Clipping of flipperspel (“pinball”).
    • 2022 December 4, Firas Razak, Jane Andersson, “16-årige Viggo yngste flippermästaren genom tiderna [16-year-old Viggo the youngest pinball champion of all time]”, in SVT Nyheter:
      Det är många som spelat flipper för att det är roligt, kanske tävlat mot kompisarna eller försökt slå personbästa. Men flipper är också en seriös tävlingssport med hundratusentals aktiva runt om i världen.
      Many people have played pinball because it's fun, perhaps competing against their friends or trying to beat their personal best. But pinball is also a serious competitive sport with hundreds of thousands of active players around the world.

References

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  1. ^ flipper in Svensk ordbok (SO)
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