flat-out

[flat-out]

adjective

Informal.

1. moving or working at top speed or with maximum effort; all-out.

   a flat-out effort by all contestants.

2. downright; thoroughgoing.

   Many of the paintings were flat-out forgeries.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flat out¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

In a direct manner, bluntly. For example, He told the true story flat out . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]

At top speed, as in She was running flat out to catch the train . [ Slang ; c. 1930]

Example Sentences

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters flat-out that “Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you’re referring to.”

Read more on Slate

If progressives go down this route, we may wind up fomenting even deeper distrust with a public that might be skeptical of RFK Jr.’s claims about vaccines and Tylenol but will find it flat-out absurd to argue that there is no problem with 1 in 31 American children being diagnosed with autism, even if only a minority of them are living with conditions severe enough to require around-the-clock care for the rest of their lives.

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“Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi’s independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong.”

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Yet, the surprise here is Cumberbatch, who seizes his rare opportunity to be flat-out funny, while occasionally rolling over to show Theo’s vulnerable belly.

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It’s flat-out false that feminists are encouraging young women to turn their noses up at good men.

Read more on Salon