fluke

fluke

See also: Fluke

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: flo͞ok IPA^(key): /fluːk/
• (US) enPR: flo͞ok IPA^(key): /fluk/
• (obsolete) enPR: flyo͞ok IPA^(key): /fljuːk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːk

Etymology 1

Of uncertain or obscure origin, perhaps dialectal. It seems to have originally referred to a lucky shot at billiards. Possibly connected to sense 3, referring to whales' use of flukes to move rapidly.

Noun

fluke (plural flukes)

1. A lucky or improbable occurrence, with the implication that the occurrence could not be repeated.

   The first goal was just a fluke.

   • 1930, Dorothy L. Sayers, Strong Poison:

     "And I say," said Wimsey, "that it would be better for her to be hanged outright than to live and have everybody think her a murderess who got off by a fluke."

   • 1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic (lyrics and music), “Christmas at Ground Zero”, in Polka Party!‎:

     It's Christmas at ground zero / Now the missiles are on their way / What a crazy fluke / We're gonna get nuked / On this jolly holiday

   • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, OCLC 1261299044, PC, scene: Garden:

     And before I forget... that was one amazing kiss, mister. Could have been a fluke, though. Guess we have to keep trying.

   • 2020 January 2, David Clough, “How InterCity came back from the brink”, in Rail, page 69:

     That this was not just a fluke was proved by a further profit the following year, albeit cut due to industrial action - jam at last!

Synonyms

• glitch

Translations

stroke of luck

Bulgarian: щастлива случайност (štastliva slučajnost) Catalan: xamba (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 僥倖／侥幸 (zh) (jiǎoxìng), 運氣／运气 (zh) (yùnqi) Czech: šťastná náhoda f, klika (cs) f Dutch: toevalstreffer (nl) Finnish: onnenpotku French: coup de chance (fr) m, coup de bol (fr) m German: Glücksfall (de) m, glücklicher Zufall m Hungarian: mázli (hu) Italian: caso (it) m, caso fortuito m, colpo di fortuna m Japanese: まぐれ (magure), 紛れ当たり (まぐれあたり, magureatari) Korean: 요행수 (yohaengsu) Polish: fuks (pl) m, szczęśliwy traf m, fart (pl) m Portuguese: golpe de sorte, acaso da sorte m, fortuna inesperada f, acaso feliz m, cagada (pt) f Romanian: pleașcă (ro) f, noroc chior Russian: уда́ча (ru) f (udáča), везе́ние (ru) n (vezénije), счастли́вая случа́йность f (sčastlívaja slučájnostʹ), счастли́вое стече́ние обстоя́тельств n (sčastlívoje stečénije obstojátelʹstv) Spanish: chiripa (es) f, churro (es) Swedish: lyckträff (sv) m, oförutsedd (sv) tur (sv) Tagalog: tsamba

Verb

fluke (third-person singular simple present flukes, present participle fluking, simple past and past participle fluked)

1. To obtain a successful outcome by pure chance.

   I fluked a pass in the multiple-choice exam.

2. (snooker) To fortuitously pot a ball in an unintended way.

   He fluked the other red into the middle pocket, despite the double kiss.

Related terms

• flukey
• fluky

 

Etymology 2

summer flounder

From Old English flōc (“flatfish”), of Germanic origin, related to German flach (“flat”), Old Norse floke (“flatfish”), all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *flakaz.

Noun

fluke (plural flukes)

1. A flounder.
2. A trematode; a parasitic flatworm of the Trematoda class, related to the tapeworm.

   The man had become infected with flukes after eating a meal of raw fish.

Derived terms

flounder

• Gulf fluke (Paralichthys albiguttus)
• long fluke (Hippoglossoides limandoides)
• pole fluke (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus)
• sail fluke (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis)
• sand fluke (Microstomus microcephalus, Hippoglossoides platessoides)

trematode

• American fluke (Fascioloides magna)
• bile fluke
• blood fluke
• bladder fluke
• cat liver fluke
• cecal fluke (Postharmostomum gallinum)
• Chinese liver fluke (Clonorchis sinensis, syn. Opisthorchis sinensis)
• deer fluke (Fascioloides magna)
• eye fluke
• flukeworm
• giant intestinal fluke (Fasciolopsis buski)
• giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna)
• lancet fluke, lancet liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum)
• liver fluke
• lung fluke (Paragonimus spp.)

unsorted

• sheep liver fluke

Etymology 3

Humpback whale fluke

Possibly as Etymology 2 or from Middle Low German flügel (“wing”), from Old High German vlügel, from Proto-Germanic *flugilaz (“wing”).

Noun

fluke (plural flukes)

1. Either of the two lobes of a whale's or similar creature's tail.

   The dolphin had an open wound on the left fluke of its tail where the propeller had injured it.

2. (nautical) Any of the triangular blades at the end of an anchor, designed to catch the ground.

   The fluke of the anchor was wedged between two outcroppings of rock and could not be dislodged.

3. A metal hook on the head of certain staff weapons (such as a bill), made in various forms depending on function, whether used for grappling or to penetrate armour when swung at an opponent.

   The polearm had a wide, sharpened fluke attached to the central point.

4. In general, a winglike formation on a central piece.

   After casting the bronze statue, we filed down the flukes and spurs from the molding process.

5. Waste cotton.

Derived terms

• sail-fluke
• turn flukes

 

Translations

lobe of whale's tail

Dutch: staartvin (nl) f Finnish: pyrstön haara, valaan pyrstön haara German: Fluke (de) f Manx: arbyl m Portuguese: lobo da cauda de baleia m Russian: хвостово́й плавни́к m (xvostovój plavník) Spanish: lóbulo (es) m Swahili: mkia wa nyangumi class 3 Swedish: fluke (sv) c

anchor blade

Bulgarian: лапа (bg) f (lapa) Czech: kotevní list Dutch: ankerblad n, ankerhand f, wem (nl) m Finnish: ankkurinkoura French: pelle (fr) f German: Flunke f Italian: gancio (it) m Norman: patte f Polish: łapa (kotwicy) f Portuguese: pata de âncora f Russian: ла́па я́коря f (lápa jákorja) Spanish: uña (es) f, pico de loro m

parasitic flatworm

Bulgarian: мети́л (bg) m (metíl) Czech: motolice f Dutch: zuigworm (nl) m Finnish: maksamato (fi), lampaan maksamato French: douve (fr) f German: Saugwurm (de) m Hungarian: métely (hu) Irish: puchán m, treimeatóid f Polish: przywra f Russian: двуу́стка (ru) f (dvuústka), соса́льщик (ru) m (sosálʹščik), тремато́да (ru) f (trematóda)

a metal hook on the head of certain staff weapons

Bulgarian: контра (bg) f (kontra) Dutch: weerhaak (nl) m Finnish: väkä (fi), metallinen koukku keihään päässä Russian: зазу́брина (ru) f (zazúbrina) (гарпуна́), крюк (ru) m (krjuk) (гарпуна́) Spanish: muerte (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Telugu: (please verify) గుడ్డేటున (guḍḍēṭuna)

Further reading

• fluke on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• summer flounder on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• trematoda on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• James Orchard Halliwell (1846), “FLUKE”, in A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Obsolete Phrases, Proverbs, and Ancient Customs, from the Fourteenth Century. [...] In Two Volumes, volume I (A–I), London: John Russell Smith, […], OCLC 1008510154, page 365, column 2.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “fluke”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.