take the flak
To be strongly criticised.
The manager's going to take the flak for taking our star player off the pitch.
ADJ.
general, left, younger
VERB + FLAK
get, orders
FLAK + NOUN
'archie', 'fliegerabwehrkanone', artillery, decision, employees, march, okl
PREP.
after, from, on
ADV.
such
noun
Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.
Another peculiar modern development is that of […] military abbreviations in army orders such as Flak ('Fliegerabwehrkanone' or 'archie')[.]
[…] to consider whether the city was in February 1945 an undefended city within the meaning of the 1907 Hague Convention, it will be necessary to examine the establishment and subsequent total dispersal of the city's flak batteries, before the date of the triple blow.
Anti-aircraft shell fire.
At 1057 we were just over the islands and at 1100 the tail gunner reported flak at six o'clock, below.
Young Ratchford was first reported missing in action and later reported killed in action as of March 9. He was flight engineer on a B-24 Liberator bomber, and his plane was seen to go down in flames just after it had passed over Munster, where it had encountered heavy flak.
Adverse criticism.
There’s always been a built-in backlash against big-scale caprices like Raiders of the Lost Ark from people who think that $20 million should be spent on more than entertainment for its own sake. Raiders may also get flak for not being as cuddly-lovable as Star Wars, or for using those old reliables – the Nazis – as villains, or for dazzling the audience with an almost brazen self-confidence.
This filter Herman and Chomsky call “flak,” which refers to letters, speeches, phone calls, and other forms of group and individual complaints. Advertisers and broadcasters avoid programming content that might cause large volumes of flak.
A public-relations spokesperson.
2006, Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, A Propaganda Model, in 2006 [2001], Meenakshi Gigi Durham, Douglas Kellner (editors), Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, revised edition, page 277, AIM head, Reed Irvine's diatribes are frequently published, and right-wing network flaks who regularly assail the “liberal media,” such as Michael Ledeen, are given Op-ed column space, sympathetic reviews, and a regular place on talk shows as experts.
To be strongly criticised.
The manager's going to take the flak for taking our star player off the pitch.
Another peculiar modern development is that of […] military abbreviations in army orders such as Flak ('Fliegerabwehrkanone' or 'archie')[.]
Wiktionary[…] to consider whether the city was in February 1945 an undefended city within the meaning of the 1907 Hague Convention, it will be necessary to examine the establishment and subsequent total dispers
WiktionaryHe was promoted to general of flak artillery on March 1, 1945, and ended the war as the general of the flak arm at OKL, the High Command of the Luftwaffe.
WiktionaryIf you try to defend the seniority-based corporate escalator these days all you'll get is flak from younger employees.
Tatoeba · #242077Tom copped a lot of flak after he left Mary and the kids for another woman.
Tatoeba · #4746878She took a lot of flak.
Tatoeba · #8486833i Register
In some senses, flak is marked as figuratively, informal. Watch for register when choosing this word.