flap, v.⁴ — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

flap v.⁴

[SE flap, to fuss, to panic]

1. to chatter.

1912		Kipling ‘As Easy as A.B.C.’ in Diversity of Creatures (1917) 33: ‘We’re a nice lot to flap about governing the Planet,’ De Forest laughed .
1959		W. Brown Teen-Age Mafia 167: She’d really flapped, trying to keep her own skirts clean.
1968		A. Burgess Enderby Outside in Complete Enderby (2002) 302: I won’t blart it. Never know who’s flapping.
1978		H. Selby Jr Requiem for a Dream (1987) 83: You stand there with your big ugly face flappin in the breeze.
2003		K. Cage Gayle 70/1: flap v. to babble away aimlessly.

2. (US gay) to act in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner.

1972

B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 82: To overemphasize, often deliberately, all girlish traits attributed to the effeminate [...] flap.

flap-noodle (n.)

(Aus.) a foolish (young) person.

1930

L. Lower Here’s Luck 34: Not that I lack either strength or agility; young flap-noodles can show me no points when it comes to strength and vigour.

flap at the jibs (v.)

see under jib n.¹

flap like a dunny door in a high wind (v.)

see under dunny n.²

flap one’s chops (v.)

see under chops n.¹

flap one’s ears (v.)

(US) to listen (hard).

1915		Motion Picture 9 85/1: I was nosing around the Essanay Company's [...] studio, with my pencil pointed like a setter dog and my ears flapping in their thirst to take in some ‘copy’ .
1925		Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 18: To dive into a bush that stood near the library window, and stand there with my ears flapping.
1941		P. Cheyney Your Deal, My Lovely n.p.: Go right ahead, baby, my ears are flapping.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 47: I flapped my ears when I heard one of the white repeaters running down the joint [...] to a fish.
1983		S. May No Exceptions in Best Radio Plays (1984) 118: Roger Burge stop flapping your ears and do some work.

flap one’s horns (v.)

(US black) to listen.

1969

‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 189: You flap your horns and remember what I’m gonna spiel to you.

flap one’s jaw (v.)

see under jaw n.

flap one’s mouth (v.) (also flap one’s lips, ...tongue) [now mainly W.I. use]

to chatter, to say more than is sensible or proper.

1910		H.G. Wells Hist. of Mr Polly (1946) 142: You go flapping your silly mouth about me, and I’ll give you a poke in the eye.
1939		R. Chandler ‘I’ll Be Waiting’ in Red Wind (1946) 132: This Rall’s flapped his mouth in stir about how the girl would be waiting for him.
1947		C. Willingham End as a Man (1952) 141: Your tongue seems to be flapping.
1953		K. Tennant Joyful Condemned 165: Think I’m going round flapping my mouth to every silly triss that gets shoved in with me?
1970		D. Wakefield Going All the Way 280: They just talked about this and that [...] just flapping their lips in the breeze.
1983		A. Payne ‘Get Daley!’ Minder [TV script] 12: You start flapping your mouth and I’ll land you right in it.
1984		W.D. Myers Motown and Didi 136: Even with the gun he was weak, flapping his lips to get his courage up.
1988		W. Chen King of the Carnival 59: Keep your flapping mouth shut.
1995		(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 47: Oprah Winfrey or the Donahue Show — which doesn’t mean shit. [...] It’s not going to change the world in an eensy-weensy bit at at all. It’s just talk. Flap the lip.
2000		F.X. Toole Rope Burns 229: You know what I do a you funky old ass you start flappin you lips.
2002		M. McKinney Still of the Night 61: Like I said, you flap your mouth too much.