flak catcher
- noun
- /flæk ˈkætʃər/
- Jargon
:
pararrayos
- The company's flak catcher handled all the harsh questions from reporters with practiced ease.
Examples
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During the press conference, the flak catcher expertly diverted attention from the recent scandal.
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The new flak catcher handled the media's questions expertly.
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As a seasoned flak catcher, she always managed to turn criticism into praise for her boss.
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As a flak catcher, she often faced tough questions.
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As a seasoned flak catcher, she always managed to turn criticism into praise for her boss.
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During the press conference, the flak catcher expertly diverted attention from the recent scandal.
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The company's flak catcher handled all the harsh questions from reporters with practiced ease.
Synonyms
3
8.1
A person who defends and promotes their employer in the media
A person who answers hard questions from the press to protect their employer or client
How Defensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
flak + catcher
The meaning 'person who receives or deflects criticism' is directly derivable from combining 'flak' (criticism) with 'catcher' (one who catches): a 'flak catcher' is literally someone who 'catches flak' and thus takes on criticism. This is a straightforward compounding pattern (agentive -er) and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Flak catcher The noun flak catcher comes from the war word flak for shells that burst in the air and catcher for someone who takes them, giving a strong image of a person taking the hits. One popular picture is someone standing where the bursts fall to protect others, so a flak catcher today is someone who 'takes criticism' for a boss or organisation.