From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishflakeflake1 /fleɪk/ noun [countable] 1 PIECEa small thin piece that breaks away easily from something elseflake of flakes of snow chocolate flakes → snowflake2 American English informalCRAZY someone who seems strange or who often forgets things SYN space cadet
Examples from the Corpus
flake• flakes of chocolate on a cake• He's such a flake, but he's fun to work with.• Her sunburnt skin was beginning to peel off in big flakes.• His corn flakes had probably gone soggy at breakfast too.• Feed a diet of insects, worms, plant matter, flake food and freeze dried food.• Workers feed them daily a mix of flakes, worms, grasshoppers and freeze-dried shrimp.• Topside, the snow softened the air and a cold wind spits flakes through an open window on the bridge.• She brushed the flakes of dandruff from her shoulder.• Nathan peered through the thick flakes at the wagon that serviced the plane at every stop.• The white chair looks soluble, as if it might crumble, collapsing into a pile of infinitesimal white flakes.• Large white flakes of snow fell upon the cold ground.• Penelope turned to see the white flakes emptying from the sky.• It was noodles flavoured with flakes of dried tuna from Miyako.flakeflake2 verb 1 (also flake off) [intransitive]BREAK to break off in small thin pieces The paint is beginning to flake off. Use a moisturising cream to stop your skin flaking.2 [intransitive, transitive]BREAK to break fish or another food into small thin pieces, or to break in this way Poach the fish until it flakes easily. Remove the skin and flake the flesh. → flake out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
flake• Cranston led Athelstan into the Great Hall, pointing out the painted walls though some of the frescoes were beginning to flake.• The gold covering may be flaking away, exposing the white plaster, or gesso, underneath.• Chunks of blue-green stuff flaked off and scattered over the floor.• Paint was flaking off the doors and window frames.• If it flakes or crumbles, add a little more water.• He'd flaked out on my bed.• Weeds and flaking paint obscure nuggets of history on many of the distinctive black-and-silver roadside markers.FlakeFlake (also Cadbury's Flake) trademark a type of chocolate bar made by the Cadbury company which breaks into flakes (=small thin pieces) when you bite itOrigin flake1 (1300-1400) From a Scandinavian language; related to Norwegian flak “disk” 