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flipping

[flip-ing]
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adjective, adverb Chiefly British Slang.
  1. (used as an intensifier): I'm flipping tired of your excuses.
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Origin of flipping

1910–15; flip1 + -ing2; perhaps euphemistically echoing fucking

flip1

[flip]
verb (used with object), flipped, flip·ping.
  1. to toss or put in motion with a sudden impulse, as with a snap of a finger and thumb, especially so as to cause to turn over in the air: to flip a coin.
  2. to move (something) suddenly or jerkily.
  3. to turn over, especially with a short rapid gesture: to flip pancakes with a spatula.
  4. Slang. to make (someone) insane, irrational, angry, or highly excited (usually followed by out).
  5. Finance. to resell, especially quickly, or to refinance, as a mortgage loan.
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verb (used without object), flipped, flip·ping.
  1. to make a flicking movement; strike at something smartly or sharply; snap.
  2. to move oneself with or as if with flippers: The seals flipped along the beach.
  3. to move with a jerk or jerks.
  4. to turn over or perform a somersault in the air.
  5. Slang.
    1. to react to something in an excited, astonished, or delighted manner: He really flipped over his new girlfriend.
    2. to become insane, irrational, angry, or highly excited (often followed by out).
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noun
  1. an instance of flipping; a smart tap or strike.
  2. a sudden jerk.
  3. a somersault, especially one performed in the air: a back flip off the diving board.
  4. Cards. a variety of seven-card stud in which each player receives the first four cards facedown and selects two of them to expose before receiving the next card.
  5. Slang. flip side.
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Idioms
  1. flip one's lid/wig, Slang. lid(def 8).
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Origin of flip1

1585–95; 1955–60 for def 10; see fillip
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for flipping

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Flipping a man in the face with a glove was fashionable in the days of Charles II.

    The Paliser case

    Edgar Saltus

  • "We have a powerhouse here," he said, flipping the paper across the table.

    The K-Factor

    Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)

  • And, flipping the ash off his cigarette on to the tray by Fiorsen's elbow, he nodded and went.

    Beyond

    John Galsworthy

  • She held the telegram, flipping her fingers against one end of it as she debated.

    Free Air

    Sinclair Lewis

  • He turns the pages of one, of the others, flipping the pages, searching for meaning.

    Planet of the Damned

    Harry Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for flipping

flipping

adjective, adverb
  1. British slang (intensifier)a flipping idiot; it's flipping cold
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Word Origin

C19: perhaps a euphemism for fucking

flip

verb flips, flipping or flipped
  1. to throw (something light or small) carelessly or briskly; tosshe flipped me an envelope
  2. to throw or flick (an object such as a coin) so that it turns or spins in the air
  3. to propel by a sudden movement of the finger; flickto flip a crumb across the room
  4. (foll by through) to read or look at (a book, newspaper, etc) quickly, idly, or incompletely
  5. (intr) (of small objects) to move or bounce jerkily
  6. (intr) to make a snapping movement or noise with the finger and thumb
  7. (intr) slang to fly into a rage or an emotional outburst (also in the phrases flip one's lid, flip one's top, flip out)
  8. (intr) slang to become ecstatic or very excitedhe flipped over the jazz group
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noun
  1. a snap or tap, usually with the fingers
  2. a rapid jerk
  3. a somersault, esp one performed in the air, as in a dive, rather than from a standing position
  4. same as nog 1 (def. 1)
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adjective
  1. informal impertinent, flippant, or pert
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Word Origin

C16: probably of imitative origin; see fillip
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flipping

flip

v.

1590s (1520s in flip-flop), imitative or else a contraction of fillip (q.v.), which also is held to be imitative. Sense of "get excited" is first recorded 1950; flip one's lid "lose one's head, go wild" is from 1950. For flip (adj.) "glib," see flippant. Meaning "to flip a coin" (to decide something) is by 1879. As a noun by 1690s. Related: Flipped. Flipping (adj.) as euphemism for fucking is British slang first recorded 1911 in D.H. Lawrence. Flip side (of a gramophone record) is by 1949.

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flip

n.

sailors' hot drink usually containing beer, brandy and sugar, 1690s, from flip (v.); so called from notion of it being "whipped up" or beaten.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper