Doodlingo

flicker

what it means

A flicker is a light that cannot hold. Not on, not off — dying and catching, dying and catching, the way a candle behaves near an open door or a failing tube does in an empty corridor. The word is short and quick on purpose: a flicker is over before you are sure you saw it. That is what makes it so useful away from lamps. A flicker of hope, a flicker of doubt, a flicker of a smile — each one is a feeling that showed for a moment and was gone before anyone could read it. Notice that you never get a flicker of anything large or settled. The word itself will not sit still.

Un flicker es una luz que no se sostiene. Ni encendida ni apagada: se muere y se agarra, se muere y se agarra, como una vela junto a una puerta abierta. Es corta a propósito: termina antes de que estés seguro de haberla visto. Por eso sirve fuera de las lámparas: a flicker of hope, of doubt, of a smile. Nunca hay un flicker de algo grande o asentado.

Um flicker é uma luz que não se segura. Nem acesa nem apagada: morre e pega, morre e pega, como uma vela perto de uma porta aberta. É curta de propósito: acaba antes de você ter certeza de que viu. Por isso serve longe das lâmpadas: a flicker of hope, of doubt, of a smile. Nunca há flicker de algo grande ou assentado.

Un flicker, c'est une lumière qui ne tient pas. Ni allumée ni éteinte : elle meurt et reprend, meurt et reprend, comme une bougie près d'une porte ouverte. Le mot est bref exprès : c'est fini avant qu'on soit sûr d'avoir vu. D'où son emploi loin des lampes : a flicker of hope, of doubt, of a smile. Jamais de flicker de quelque chose de grand ou d'installé.

Flicker adalah cahaya yang tidak sanggup bertahan. Bukan menyala, bukan mati: padam lalu menyala lagi, seperti lilin di dekat pintu terbuka. Kata ini sengaja pendek — selesai sebelum Anda yakin telah melihatnya. Karena itu ia berguna di luar urusan lampu: a flicker of hope, of doubt, of a smile.

Flicker, tutunamayan bir ışıktır. Ne yanık ne sönük: söner ve tutuşur, söner ve tutuşur — açık kapının yanındaki mum gibi. Kelime bilerek kısadır; gördüğünüzden emin olmadan biter. Lambalardan uzakta işe yaramasının sebebi de bu: a flicker of hope, of doubt, of a smile. Büyük ve yerleşmiş bir şeyin flicker'ı olmaz.

flicker は、持ちこたえられない光です。点いてもいない、消えてもいない——消えては点き、消えては点く。開いた扉のそばのろうそくのように。短い語なのはわざとで、見たと確信する前に終わります。だからランプ以外でよく効きます。a flicker of hope、of doubt、of a smile。大きくて落ち着いたものに flicker はつきません。

  1. 01

    verb

    to shine or burn unsteadily

    The lamp flickered twice and went out.

  2. 02

    verb

    to move with small, quick movements

    Her eyes flickered towards the door.

  3. 03

    noun

    a feeling or sign that shows for only a moment

    There was a flicker of doubt on his face.

Get the 10-word book — free. This word and nine like it, as a printable PDF.

Check yourself.

1 / 4

A flickering light is —

Use it in a sentence.

Write one line with flicker. You get a score, the one thing that would fix it, and your own sentence written sharper. The five best hold the wall.

0/280

Sign in with Google to post — your sentence rides along.

No one holds this wall yet. Be the first.

More from The Interactive Dictionary — Vol. 1

amplifywendzigzagshrinecuriosity