different between flic vs flick

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /fl?k/

• Rhymes: -?k

  Homophone: flick

Etymology 1

From flick in the cinematographic sense.

Noun

flic (plural flics)

1. (computing) A data file containing computer animations.

Etymology 2

From French flic (“cop, policeman”).

Noun

flic (plural flics)

1. (informal, slang) A French policeman.

French

Etymology

From earlier flique, probably a borrowing of German Flick, German criminal slang for "young man".

Alternatively, from earlier fligue, short for earlier fligman, a borrowing of German Fliege (“policeman”, literally “fly”). More at English fly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flik/

Noun

flic m (plural flics)

1. (slang, derogatory) copper, pig, rozzer; (police officer)

Synonyms

• keuf (verlan)

Derived terms

• fliquer
• fliqueur

Further reading

• “flic” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

Perhaps related to flicker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fl?k/

• Rhymes: -?k

  Homophone: flic

Noun

flick (plural flicks)

1. A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
2. (informal) A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.

3. (fencing) A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
4. (tennis) A powerful underarm volley shot.
5. The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
6. A flitch.

7. A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second
8. (dated, slang) A chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address.
   • 1920, H. C. McNeile, Bulldog Drummond

     'All that I have, dear old flick, is yours for the asking. What can I do?'

Synonyms

• (short, quick movement) fillip (of the finger)
• (cinema) the pictures

Descendants

• ? Afrikaans: fliek

Translations

Verb

flick (third-person singular simple present flicks, present participle flicking, simple past and past participle flicked)

1. To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.

   • Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic.

   • 1860, William Makepeace Thackeray, The English Humourists of the Eighteenth Century and Charity and Humour

     the Queen, flicking the snuff off her sleeve […]

Derived terms

• flick knife
• flick off
• flick the bean

Related terms

• flicker

Translations

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fl?k/
• Rhymes: -?k

Verb

flick

1. singular imperative of flicken