brief fling
- noun
- NSFW
- They had a brief fling that lasted only a couple of weeks, enjoying each other's company without any long-term commitment.
I I had a brief fling with a KitchenAid.
- I I had a brief fling with a KitchenAid.
Examples
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For their brief fling at fame, then, Curtis was Sam'l and Sam'l was Curtis.
Academic text (1995) -
I I had a brief fling with a KitchenAid.
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Once he would have scooped up a young available woman and enjoyed every minute of their brief fling together.
Fiction book (2001) -
Suppose you did have a brief fling with Ms. Jolie.
Blog text (19) -
It's a good thing the comics blogosphere took up this topic because I couldn't tell you: I gafiated right through the decade, except for a brief fling with the early America's Best Comics line.
Blog text (23) -
After a brief fling during summer break, they went their separate ways and have not spoken since.
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Many young people experience a brief fling in college, often filled with excitement and no expectations.
Synonyms
A short time of fun or a brief romantic relationship
A sexual encounter that happens for only one night and does not continue
A casual sexual or romantic meeting with no long-term commitment
A person you have sex with once without a relationship
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a short and casual romantic or sexual relationship' is directly derivable from combining 'brief' (lasting only a short time) with 'fling' (a casual romantic/sexual relationship). This adjective + noun composition is transparent and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Brief fling uses brief ('short') and fling (which once meant 'to throw' or a quick action); imagine a quick throw that happens for a moment, so the phrase paints a picture of something that ends fast, and thus means 'a short and casual romantic relationship'.