flaky

[fley-kee] /ˈfleɪ ki/

adjective, flakier, flakiest.

of or like flakes.

lying or cleaving off in flakes or layers.

Slang. eccentric; wacky; dizzy:

a flaky math professor.

Also, flakey.

Origin

1570-80; 1965-70 for def 3; flake¹ + -y¹; sense of def. 3 probably flake⁴ + -y¹, though influenced by flake¹

Related forms

flakily, adverb

flakiness, noun

nonflakily, adverb

nonflakilyness, noun

nonflaky, adjective

unflaky, adjective

Examples from the web for flaky

Mix with your fingers until it forms flaky crumbs and lumps.
The fish itself is flaky and a slightly translucent white in color.
Texture: crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside.
They fed me flaky white cod and buttery sole fillets and never once asked me to eat any skin.
For example, it turned out that adding too little cotton led to flaky and unevenly coloured paper.
The overall result of lower pay and peaking bad debts, as well as the closure of flaky divisions, should be higher profits.
Some will fall because they have flaky business plans.
Some believe that the fears over the impact on insurers of the disreputable, flaky mineral are overdone.
And venture capitalists currently appear to be in no mood to fund flaky proposals.
It has a similar sweet flavor with a thick flaky fillet.

British Dictionary definitions for flaky

flaky

/ˈfleɪkɪ/

adjective flakier, flakiest

like or made of flakes

tending to peel off or break easily into flakes

(US, slang) Also flakey. eccentric; crazy

Derived Forms

flakily, adverb
flakiness, noun

Word Origin and History for flaky

adj.

1570s, from flake + -y (2). Meaning "eccentric, crazy" first recorded 1959, said to be American English baseball slang, but probably from earlier druggie slang flake "cocaine" (1920s). Flake "eccentric person" is a 1968 back-formation from it.

The term 'flake' needs explanation. It's an insider's word, used throughout baseball, usually as an adjective; someone is considered 'flaky.' It does not mean anything so crude as 'crazy,' but it's well beyond 'screwball' and far off to the side of 'eccentric.' ["New York Times," April 26, 1964]

Slang definitions & phrases for flaky

flaky

adjective

Colorfully eccentric; uoyantly individualisti (1960s+ Baseball)
Insane; screwy, wacky: a flaky old professor, a snake expert (1960s+)
Disoriented; barely conscious; dizzy: He played the last 23 minutes of the game in a condition that was described as ''flaky'' and ''fuzzy'' (1960s+)

Related Terms

flake

flaky in Technology

(Or "flakey") Subject to frequent lossage. This use is of course related to the common slang use of the word to describe a person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. A system that is flaky is working, sort of - enough that you are tempted to try to use it - but fails frequently enough that the odds in favour of finishing what you start are low. Commonwealth hackish prefers dodgy.
[Jargon File]
(1996-01-05)