flake out

verb

1. informal,  to collapse or fall asleep as through extreme exhaustion

Idioms and Phrases

Drop from exhaustion, faint. For example, After running the marathon, be simply flaked out on the ground . This expression possibly is derived from a now obsolete meaning of flake , “to become flabby or fall in folds.” [ Slang ; c. 1940]

Lie down, go to sleep, as in Homeless persons flaked out in doorways . [ Slang ; early 1940s]

Lose one's nerve, as in Please don't flake out now . [ Slang ; 1950s]

Go crazy; also, cause someone to go crazy. For example, She just flaked out and we had to call an ambulance , or This project is flaking us out . The usages in def. 3 and 4 probably are derived from the adjective flaky , meaning “eccentric.” [c. 1970]

Die, as in He flaked out last night . [1960s]

Surprise, astonish, as in She said she'd just been made a partner, and that flaked me out . This usage appears to be a variant of freak out . [c. 1970]

Related Words

• bow 
• break down 
• buckle 
• capitulate 
• cave in 
• cease 
• defer 
• give in 
• give way 
• go down 
• pass away 
• perish 
• quit 
• wilt 
• yield