What does "flak" mean?

Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.

What is a synonym for "flak"?

Common synonyms include: ack-ack, fire, aaa, abuse, ack-ack gun, adverse criticism.

//flæk// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Common ·High school level

Noun

1
Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells. countable, uncountable
"Another peculiar modern development is that of […] military abbreviations in army orders such as Flak ('Fliegerabwehrkanone' or 'archie')[.]"
2
artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes wordnet
3
Anti-aircraft shell fire. countable, uncountable
"At 1057 we were just over the islands and at 1100 the tail gunner reported flak at six o'clock, below."
4
intense adverse criticism wordnet
5
Adverse criticism. countable, figuratively, informal, uncountable
"There’s always been a built-in backlash against big-scale caprices like Raiders of the Lost Ark from people who think that $20 million should be spent on more than entertainment for its own sake. Raiders may also get flak for not being as cuddly-lovable as Star Wars, or for using those old reliables – the Nazis – as villains, or for dazzling the audience with an almost brazen self-confidence."

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6
a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer wordnet
7
A public-relations spokesperson. countable, informal, uncountable
"2006, Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, A Propaganda Model, in 2006 [2001], Meenakshi Gigi Durham, Douglas Kellner (editors), Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, revised edition, page 277, AIM head, Reed Irvine's diatribes are frequently published, and right-wing network flaks who regularly assail the “liberal media,” such as Michael Ledeen, are given Op-ed column space, sympathetic reviews, and a regular place on talk shows as experts."