flog
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flog¹
- /flɒɡ/ UK
- /flɑɡ/ US
Rhymes with -ɒɡ
Where it comes from
From Middle English *floggen (suggested by flogge (“hammer, sledge”), from Old English *floggian, a stem variant of Proto-Germanic *flukkōną (“to beat”), itself a secondary zero-grade iterative with unetymological -u-, derived from *flōkaną.
The original zero-grade iterative *flakkōną had been misinterpreted as an o-grade. See flack (“to beat”), also as a dialectal noun "a blow, slap". Cognate with Scots flog (“a blow, stripe, flogging”, noun), Scots flog (“thin strip of wood”), Norwegian flak (“a piece torn off, strip”).
Alternatively, a back-formation from flogger, from Low German flogger (“a flail”).
verb flogs · flogging · flogged
- To whip or scourge as punishment.
- To use something to extreme; to abuse. I did seven laps of Fyshwick with the mechanic today. I was turning lots of heads on the last few, people must of thought I was nuts, flogging the car then stopping, then driving slow then flogging it again.
- To sell. And then there's my part time job at Telstra Bigpond flogging their cable network for just $67.55/month long term cost, a BARGAIN, and the other part time job flogging Foxtel at something like $50/month.
- To steal something.
- To defeat easily or convincingly. The Swannies got on a real roll over rounds 16/17 & 18 of 1987. In consecutive SCG matches, they flogged the Eags 30.21 to 10.11, followed that with a 36.20 to 11.7 demolition of the Dons and finally a 31.12 to 15.17 thrashing of Richmond.
- To overexploit (land), as by overgrazing, overstocking, etc. The environment is paying dearly as producers flog their land. Sustainable agriculture needs a new generation of energised science and technology-trained farmers
- To beat away charcoal dust etc. using a flogger.
noun flogs
- A contemptible, often arrogant person; a wanker. It follows the ejection of a supporter who allegedly ran towards umpire Mathew Nicholls while calling him a "bald-headed flog" at half-time of the Carlton-Brisbane Lions match last Saturday.
flog²
- /flɒɡ/ UK
- /flɑɡ/ US
Rhymes with -ɒɡ
Where it comes from
Blend of fake + blog.
noun flogs
- A weblog designed to look authentic, but actually developed as part of a commercial marketing strategy to promote some product or service. Though a handful of viral videos and flogs have captured significant interest, the vast majority hardly register with consumers.
