flimsy

English

Etymology

Uncertain. First used in the 18th century. Perhaps a metathesis of film +‎ -s +‎ -y; or related to flimflam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflɪmzi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

flimsy (comparative flimsier or more flimsy, superlative flimsiest or most flimsy)

1. Likely to bend or break under pressure.

   Synonyms: weak, shaky, flexible, fragile

   Antonyms: robust, strong, sturdy

   He expected the flimsy structure to collapse at any moment.

   • 1715, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Rivals:

     All the flimsy furniture of a country miss's brain.

2. (figurative) Weak; ill-founded.

   Synonyms: weak, feeble, unconvincing, unfounded, unsubstantiated

   Antonyms: well-founded, substantiated

   a flimsy excuse

Translations

likely to bend or break under pressure

• Bulgarian: слаб (bg) (slab), крехък (bg) (krehǎk), чуплив (bg) (čupliv)
• Czech: chatrný, křehký (cs)
• Danish: spinkel, skrøbelig
• Dutch: breekbaar (nl)
• Finnish: heppoinen (fi), hatara (fi)
• French: frêle (fr) m or f, fragile (fr) m or f
• German: zart (de), schwach (de), leicht (de), zerbrechlich (de), hauchdünn (de)
• Latin: fragilis
• Maori: kopī, marore, kōpīpī
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spinkel

  Nynorsk: spinkel

• Plautdietsch: pukrich
• Portuguese: frágil (pt), receoso (pt), trémulo (pt)
• Russian: хру́пкий (ru) (xrúpkij), хлипкий (ru) (xlipkij)

weak; ill-founded

• Czech: chabý, chatrný
• Danish: tynd (da), svag
• Finnish: heppoinen (fi), hatara (fi)
• French: faible (fr) m or f, fragile (fr) m or f
• German: fadenscheinig (de)

Noun

flimsy (plural flimsies)

1. Thin typing paper used to make multiple copies.
   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 251:

     Smiley peered once more at the flimsy which he still clutched in his pudgy hand.

2. (naval slang) A service certificate
   • 1964, Australia. Parliament, Records of the Proceedings and Printed Papers of the Parliament:

     A perusal of the comments of officers under whom he has served as recorded in his “flimsies" indicates that he has almost consistently received high commendation for his service.

   • 1994, John Wells, The Royal Navy: An Illustrated Social History, 1870-1982, page 7:

     Regulations required a commanding officer to render annual confidential reports on the character and ability of his officers - with particular reference to sobriety - on forms known as 'flimsies'.

3. (informal, in the plural) Skimpy underwear.
   • 2007 October 25, Ruth La Ferla, “Now It’s Nobody’s Secret”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Choosing lingerie “is about what makes you look good, but also what looks good with or through your clothing,” said Monica Mitro, a spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret, the brand that catapulted racy flimsies into the public eye.

4. (slang) A banknote.
   • 1846, George William MacArthur Reynolds, The Mysteries of London, page 60:

     […] Q was a Queer-screen, that served as a blind; / R was a Reader, with flimsies well lined; […]

Derived terms

• soft flimsy

 

Translations

Thin typing paper used to make multiple copies

• Bulgarian: пелюр m (peljur)
• Danish: gennemslagspapir n
• Finnish: läpilyöntipaperi (fi)
• French: papier calque (fr) m, calque (fr) m
• Irish: páipéar tanaí m
• Spanish: papel cebolla m