flashing

Pluralflashings (some meanings)

1. 1
   noununcountable

   The repeated blinking of a light source, such as a bulb or a cursor on a screen.

   The flashing of the cursor reminded her the document was still open.

   Drivers slowed at the flashing of the amber signal ahead.

   Similarblinking, flickering, winking, pulsing

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of flash.

   The sign outside the diner was flashing all night.

   Photographers were flashing their cameras as she walked the red carpet.

   Note

   Present participle and gerund share one spelling, so this form of flash does double duty. As a verb it builds progressive tenses, either alone (the beacon is flashing) or with an object (flashing a torch at the gate). As a gerund it names the activity itself. When it means exposing oneself, the verb covers momentary and even accidental glimpses, and that is what sets it apart from streak.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   Sheet metal or other material installed to weatherproof and seal the joints and edges of a roof where the covering is interrupted, such as at walls, valleys, and drains.

   Improperly installed flashing is a leading cause of roof leaks at chimney joints.

   The contractor replaced the rusted flashing along the valley before reshingling.

   Note

   The roofer's word takes its name from the material itself: early flashing was copper or aluminum, and it threw back the sun in flashes. It is mostly a mass noun (new flashing around the chimney), while the plural flashings counts the separate formed pieces at each wall, valley or drain. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with the blinking of lights. On a roof, flashing is something fixed in place.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   The brief, deliberate exposing of one's naked body, or part of it, in a public place.

   He was charged with flashing after the incident outside the train station.

   Reports of flashing near the campus prompted extra patrols.

   Similarexposure, exhibitionism

5. 5
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A sudden flare-up or violent surging forth, as of flame or water.

   The flashing of the magnesium produced an intense white glare.

   Witnesses described a flashing of floodwater as the levee gave way.

   Similarflare, burst, blaze, surge

6. 6
   noununcountable

   The retail practice of pulling stock from the back of a shelf to the front to close gaps and present a fuller, well-stocked display.

   Closing-shift employees handle the flashing so the morning shelves look fully stocked.

   She finished the flashing in the cereal aisle before the evening rush.

   Similarfacing, fronting, zoning

7. 7
   noununcountable

   The application of rhodium plating to a ring to temporarily boost its shine and surface durability.

   She paid for flashing to restore the white-gold band's bright finish.

   The flashing typically lasts a year or two before the ring needs replating.

   Similarplating, dipping

   Note

   A jeweler's term for a finish rather than a repair. Rhodium is electroplated over white gold or silver in a layer only microns thick, which gives a bright, hard, tarnish-resistant surface. Because that layer wears away with ordinary use, flashing is a recurring service, and a ring is said to need replating when the shine fades.

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