Flurry

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈflʌɹi/
• Rhymes: -ÊŒri
• US IPA: /ˈflʌɹi/ accents without the w, English-language_vowel_changes_before_historic_/r/#Hurry.E2.80.93furry_merger, "Hurry-furry" merger
• Rhymes: -ÊŒri
• US IPA: /ˈflɝ.ɹi/ accents with the w, English-language_vowel_changes_before_historic_/r/#Hurry.E2.80.93furry_merger, "Hurry-furry" merger

Origin

Perhaps an American English blend of flutter and hurry. Alternatively, perhaps from an obsolete term flurr ("scatter").

Full definition of flurry

Noun

1. A brief snowfall.
2. A sudden and brief blast or gust; a light, temporary breeze.a flurry of wind
3. A shower of dust, leaves etc. brought on by a sudden gust of wind.
4. Any sudden activity; a stir.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 10, With a little manÅ“uvring they contrived to meet on the doorstep which was … in a boiling stream of passers-by, hurrying business people speeding past in a flurry of fumes and dust in the bright haze.
• 1998, Gillian Catriona Ramchand, Deconstructing the Lexicon, in Miriam Butt and Wilhelm Geuder, eds. “The Projection of Arguments”These structure modifications are important because they have provoked a flurry of investigation into argument structure operations of merger, demotion etc.
• 2011, January 8, Chris Bevan, Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds, The Championship highflyers almost got their reward for a resilient performance on their first visit to the Emirates, surviving a flurry of first-half Arsenal chances before hitting back with a classic sucker punch.
5. The day before the wedding was a flurry of preparations.
6. A snack consisting of soft ice cream with small pieces of fruit, cookie, etc.
• 1988, K. Wayne Wride, Fruit Treats (in Vegetarian Times number 134, October 1988, page 27)Does your "Forbidden Foods" list include banana splits, ice cream sundaes, slurpies, popsicles, frozen yogurts, milk shakes, and ice cream flurries? These foods taste great but have a reputation for being bad for your health.
• 2002, Tampa Bay Magazine (volume 17, number 3, May-June 2002, page 235)They will make your tongue smile with their homemade ice cream, which was voted "Best Taste in the USA Today." Enjoy exciting toppings to personalize your treat or a yummy sundae, flurry, smoothie, banana split or shake...
7. The violent spasms of a dying whale.

Verb

1. (transitive) To agitate, bewilder, disconcert.
• 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:She was flurried by the term with which he had qualified her gentle friend, but she took the occasion for one to which she must in every manner lend herself.
2. (intransitive) To move or fall in a flurry.