flack catcher
- noun
- Slang
:
portavoz
- Every major corporation employs at least one skilled flack catcher to handle tough questions from the press.
Examples
-
The politician's flack catcher was quick to spin the negative story into a positive headline.
-
Many companies hire a flack catcher to manage public relations.
-
No matter how tough the interview, the flack catcher calmly redirected criticism back to their opponent.
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The new flack catcher handled the media well.
-
Every major corporation employs at least one skilled flack catcher to handle tough questions from the press.
-
The politician's flack catcher was quick to spin the negative story into a positive headline.
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Many companies hire a flack catcher to manage public relations during crises.
Synonyms
123
3.5
A person who speaks for a group or company to the public
34
7.9
A person who argues for a belief or policy
3
8.1
A person who defends and promotes their employer in the media
1
8.7
A person who defends a belief, policy, or organization against criticism
A person who takes criticism and answers hard questions for their boss
A person who defends someone or something that others criticize
Antonyms
How Defensive
- Literature
7
7.1
- Slang
6
3.7
69
5.0
123
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
flack + catcher
The compound combines 'catcher' (one who catches) with 'flack' (likely intended as 'flak' = criticism), so a learner who knows those meanings can infer a metaphorical sense of someone who catches or absorbs criticism — i.e., a spokesperson who deflects attacks. However, the expression relies on metaphor, a spelling/meaning ambiguity for 'flack' vs. 'flak', and cultural/pragmatic knowledge about media roles, so the exact occupational nuance is not fully predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Flack catcher may come from the image of a catcher standing in front and taking flak, a wartime word for the bursts fired at planes, like a human shield. So a flack catcher is a spokesperson who 'catches' the attacks or 'criticism' and protects their employer.