flick
flick — noun
1. A short, quick movement, typically made with a finger, hand, or other body part,
A short, quick movement, typically made with a finger, hand, or other body part, often in order to remove or shift something lightly.
Andrei gave the piece of fluff a quick flick and watched it float across the room.
give [sth] a quick flick — noun phrase pattern
With a sharp flick of her wrist, Yasmin sent the playing card spinning across the table.
with a flick of [body part] — prep. pattern
The cat's tail gave a tiny flick before the animal jumped off the sofa.
Sora noticed a small flick of the dog's ear and knew the puppy was about to wake up.
用法筆記
Common in the patterns 'give something a flick' and 'with a flick of [body part]'. The noun usually refers to a single, brief motion rather than repeated movement.
常見錯誤
2. The action of rapidly turning through the pages or screens of printed or digital
The action of rapidly turning through the pages or screens of printed or digital material to get a general sense of the content.
Roya took a quick flick through the brochure while waiting for the train.
take a quick flick through [reading material]
A brief flick through the report told Abigail that the main arguments were on the final page.
Felipe gave the photo album a quick flick before passing it back to his grandfather.
Eitan took a quick flick through the menu before deciding what to order for dinner.
用法筆記
Always used with 'through' or a similar directional preposition. The noun form 'flick' is less common than the verb form for this meaning.
3. A film or movie, especially in casual conversation, and often used alongside a w
A film or movie, especially in casual conversation, and often used alongside a word that describes the genre of the film.
Putri invited her friends over to watch a comedy flick from the early 2000s.
genre + flick — informal compound
Christopher said the new horror flick was too scary for him to watch alone.
Minho prefers a romantic flick when he wants to relax after a long week at work.
Romi and her classmates made a short action flick for their school film project.
用法筆記
Almost always paired with a genre label (action flick, chick flick, sci-fi flick). Avoid using 'flick' alone to mean 'film' in formal or professional writing.
常見錯誤
4. A place where films are shown; the cinema. Used informally, almost always in the
A place where films are shown; the cinema. Used informally, almost always in the plural form 'the flicks'.
Do you fancy going to the flicks after dinner tonight? asked Sayaka.
the flicks — fixed informal phrase for cinema
Eitan remembered going to the flicks every Saturday as a teenager in London.
Yael's grandmother told her stories about going to the flicks as a young woman in Manchester.
Eitan and his friends headed to the flicks after school every Friday afternoon.
- cinema
neutral and standard; used in formal contexts
- movie theater
the equivalent term in American English
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in the plural form 'the flicks' rather than as a countable singular. This is a British informal usage and may not be understood in other varieties of English.
常見錯誤
flick — verb
1. To hit or push an object using a brief, light motion of the finger, hand, or ano
To hit or push an object using a brief, light motion of the finger, hand, or another item, usually to move it a short distance or get rid of it.
Ravindra flicked a crumb off the table and onto the floor without thinking.
flick + object + off — removing lightly
The horse's ears flicked back and forth as it listened to the sounds of the forest.
intransitive — body part + flick
Abigail flicked a coin across the table toward her brother, who caught it with a grin.
When a small beetle landed on Andrei's sleeve, he calmly flicked it away.
文法句型
flick + object + off/away/aside
flick + object + across/into/onto
flick + prepositional phrase
flick + (no object)
用法筆記
Commonly used with directional particles (off, away, across, into). The intransitive use often describes a body part moving quickly ('His eyes flicked toward the door').
常見錯誤
2. To press or move a switch, button, or control with a quick motion, usually to st
To press or move a switch, button, or control with a quick motion, usually to start or stop a device, or to scroll through content on a touchscreen.
Christopher flicked the light switch on as he entered the dark hallway.
flick a switch — typical collocation
Yasmin flicked through the photos on her phone, looking for the one from the beach trip.
flick through [screen content] — touchscreen scrolling
Minho flicked the switch on the kettle before sitting down at his desk to check his emails.
The driver flicked a switch on the dashboard, and the windscreen wipers started moving.
文法句型
flick + switch/button
flick + [device] + on/off
flick through + [screen content]
用法筆記
Use 'flick on/off' for small appliances and switches. For scrolling through content on a smartphone or tablet, 'flick through' is common. Distinguish from verb sense 3, where 'flick through' applies to printed or written material.
常見錯誤
3. To turn pages rapidly in a book, magazine, or similar reading matter, glancing a
To turn pages rapidly in a book, magazine, or similar reading matter, glancing at sections rather than reading line by line.
Roya flicked through a travel magazine while she waited for the dentist to call her name.
flick through [magazine/book] — reading quickly
Eitan flicked through the pages of the textbook, searching for the chapter on ancient Rome.
Before buying the novel, Felipe flicked through a few chapters to check if the writing style suited him.
Putri flicked through the instruction manual to find out how to assemble the bookshelf.
- browse
more relaxed and less purposeful than flick through
- skim
implies reading for main ideas rather than just looking quickly
- leaf through
slower, more physical turning of pages
文法句型
flick through + [book/magazine/pages/document]
用法筆記
Always followed by 'through' when referring to reading material. This sense implies a deliberate but quick search through printed content, as opposed to verb sense 2, where 'flick through' applies to on-screen content.