flutter
To flap or wave quickly but irregularly.
Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped ; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals, [...]
Of a winged animal: to flap the wings without flying; to fly with a light flapping of the wings.
Banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes.
(aerodynamics) To undergo divergent oscillations (potentially to the point of causing structural failure) due to a positive feedback loop between elastic deformation and aerodynamic forces.
To cause something to flap.
To drive into disorder; to throw into confusion.
To be in a state of agitation or uncertainty.
(obsolete) To be frivolous.
(espionage, slang) To subject to a lie detector test.
The act of fluttering; quick and irregular motion.
A state of agitation.
An abnormal rapid pulsation of the heart.
(aerodynamics) An extremely dangerous divergent oscillation caused by a positive feedback loop between the elastic deformation of an object and the aerodynamic forces acting on it, potentially resulting in rapid structural failure.
(British) A small bet or risky investment.
A hasty game of cards or similar.
(audio, electronics) The rapid variation of signal parameters, such as amplitude, phase, and frequency.
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