Flair (pronounced flair)
(1) A
natural or innate talent, aptitude, or ability, a bent or knack for something;
instinctive discernment or perceptiveness.
(2) Smartness
of style, manner, etc; stylishness or elegance.
(3) In
hunting, scent; olfaction, the sense of smell (now rare).
(4) In
Scots, a word for floor.
1350–1400: From the Middle English flayre, from the Old English flōr, from the Old French flaire (scent; odour (literally “sense of smell”) which endures in Modern French as flarier), a noun derivative of flairier (to reek; to give off a smell), ultimately from unattested Vulgar Latin flāgrāre, a dissimilated variant of the Classical Latin frāgrāre (to smell sweet), source also of fragrant in Modern English). The related Latin form was flāgrō, a dissimilated variation of the verb frāgrō (emit a sweet smell). The present participle is flairing, the past participle flaired). In modern use, the original sense (scent, sense of smell etc) is rare and restricted to niches such as hunting and historical fiction. The sense of "special aptitude" is an invention of American English, dating from 1925, probably from hunting and the notion of a hound's innate and extraordinary ability to track scent. The popular uses now refer to (1) matters of style or (2) a particular talent or aptitude:
“He has a flair for the business”.
That was Winston Churchill's (1875-1965; UK prime-minister
1940-1945 & 1951-1955) grudging assessment in 1944 of Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke (later Lord Alanbrooke; 1883-1963, Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS)
1941-1946) as a general. It was about as close to praise as the CIGS received from his chief;
the prime-minister liking his soldiers dashing and daring rather than cautious
and conscientious. The most common
synonyms now (depending on context) include chic, dash, élan, grace, verve,
oomph, ability, aptitude, elegance, genius, gift, glamour, knack, mastery,
taste, bent, faculty, feeling, head, panache & pizzazz.
Flare (pronounced flair)
(1) To burn with an unsteady, swaying flame, as a torch
or candle in the wind; the flame of this type.
(2) To blaze with a sudden burst of flame (often followed
by up); the flame of this type.
(3) To start up or burst out in sudden, fierce intensity
or activity (often followed by up).
(4) To become suddenly enraged; express sudden, fierce
anger or passion (usually followed by up or out).
(5) To shine or glow.
(6) To spread gradually outward, as the end of a trumpet,
the bottom of a wide skirt, or the sides of a ship.
(7) To display conspicuously or ostentatiously to display.
(8) To signal by flares of fire or light.
(9) To cause (something) to spread gradually outward in
form.
(10) In metallurgy, to heat a high-zinc brass to such a
high temperature that the zinc vapors begin to burn; to increase the
temperature of (a molten metal or alloy) until a gaseous constituent of the
melt burns with a characteristic flame or (of a molten metal or alloy) to show
such a flame.
(11) In hydrocarbon extraction, to discharge and burn
(excess gas) at a well or refinery.
(12) A bright blaze of fire or light used as a signal, a
means of illumination or guidance etc; the device or substance used to produce
such a blaze of fire or light.
(13) In fashion, a gradual spread outward in form; as in
a skirt or trousers (known also as bell-bottoms).
(14) In engineering, an outward extension, usually as a curvature.
(15) In automotive design, an extension at the wheel arch
of the fender (mudguard) to ensure tyres don’t extend beyond the bodywork.
(16) Something that spreads out.
(17) In optics, light, often unwanted or extraneous,
reaching the image plane of an optical instrument, as a camera, resulting from
reflections, scattering by lenses, and the like.
(18) In photography, a fogged appearance given to an
image by reflection within a camera lens or within the camera itself.
(19) In astronomy (commonly as solar flare), a sudden and
brief brightening of the solar atmosphere in the vicinity of a sunspot that
results from an explosive release of particles and radiation.
(20) In US football (NFL), a short pass thrown to a back
who is running toward a sideline and is not beyond the line of scrimmage.
(21) In television, a dark area on a CRT picture tube
caused by variations in light intensity (mostly archaic).
(22) In aviation, the final transition phase of an
aircraft landing, from the steady descent path to touchdown; to operate an
aircraft to transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
(23) In pathology, an area of redness on the skin
surrounding the primary site of infection or irritation.
(24) In engineering, as flare tube fitting, a flare nut being
used to secure the flared tubing’s tapered end to the also tapered fitting,
producing a pressure-resistant, leak-tight seal.
(25) In baseball (also as blooper or Texas leaguer), a
low-fly ball that is hit in the region between the infielders and the
outfielders.
(26) An inflammation such as of tendons (tendonitis) or
joints (osteoarthritis).
(27) In pyrotechnics (also as Bengal light or fusee) a colored flare used as a warning
on a railroad. In US use, a parachute
flare or Very light.
1540-1550: Of uncertain origin, the verb not appearing in
English until the mid-sixteenth century, most etymologists thinking it probably
related to the Latin flagrō (I burn) and
may be from a Scandinavian source or the Dutch vlederen. The Norwegian flara (to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy
attire) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it so it’s
presumed derivative. There may be some
relationship with the Middle High German vlederen
(to flutter (and represented in modern German by flattern)) but the evidence is scant. In English, the original meaning was “spread
out” (as applied to hair (and later structures such as the sides of ships))
leading to a comparison with the Old English flǣre (either of the spreading
sides at the end of the nose). The meaning
"shine out with a sudden light" dates from the 1630s while the notion
of "spreading out in display" emerged in the 1640s and is the source
of the modern association with things which "spread gradually
outward".
The noun flare (a giving off of a bright, unsteady light)
dates from 1814 and was derived from the verb; from this followed (by 1883) the
sense of "signal fire" (1883). Astronomical use dates from 1937. The general meaning "a gradual widening
or spreading" is emerged circa 1910, the best known modern example probably
the “flares” (flared trousers), first noted in 1964, actually an adaptation of
earlier forms of design but a fashion trend which is associated with the hippie
era and lasting until the mid 1970s. Flares
then became suddenly unfashionable but revivals since have been frequent and
they now enjoy a standardized niche in the industry.
In idiomatic use, the flare-up (a sudden burst) applied
by 1827 to an argument and by 1858 to light, derived from the verbal phrase and
contemporary publications noted the vogue flare-up enjoyed as a street
expression in 1830s London. The 1660s noun
flatus (wind in the bowels) was a direct borrowing from the Latin flatus (a blowing, breathing, snorting;
a breaking wind), past participle of flare (to blow, puff) from the primitive
Indo-European root bhle- (to blow). From this came the 1590s adjective flatulent
(affected by digestive gas), from the sixteenth century French flatulent, from the Modern Latin flatulentus, from Latin flatus.
Flare is a verb (used without object) & noun, flared is
a verb & adjective and flaring is a verb (the noun derived from the verb). The present participle is flaring, the past
participle flared and the noun plural is flares. Synonyms, depending on context, include flame,
erupt, explode, flash, blaze, blaze, boil over, break out, burn, explode, flare
up, flash, flicker, glow, seethe, widen, burst, dart, dazzle, flutter, fume,
glare, rant, shimmer & broaden.
Worn with flair: Lindsay Lohan (left) in peach flared trousers, Los Angeles, 2012 and (right) out shopping in flared jeans, Milan, 2015.
1975 Porsche 911S (left) with standard body and 1979 Porsche 930 3.3 (right; often called the 911 Turbo) with flared wheel arches, a body style which came generally to be called the “wide-body”.
1963 AC Shelby Cobra 289 (left, retrospectively dubbed the "slab-side") and 1967 AC Shelby Cobra 427 S/C (right) with flared wheel arches. Aspects of the bulge-bodied 427 had actually already been seen on competition versions of the 289 and it has for decades been the most popular style of body (regardless of the engine installed) used by producers of replicas, there now being in excess of 50,000 of these, dwarfing the production of the thousand-odd originals.
For many years, most cars have used slightly flared wheel
arches but more exaggerated extensions are often added to high-performance models to enable wider
wheels and tyres to be fitted. If the high-performance
version is to be a regular-production model, the usual practice is the integrate
the flares into the fender.
1975 Holden Torana SL/R 5000 L34 (left) and 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT (right). Limited production models however often have flares added which are obviously “tacked-on”. That can be part of their attraction, giving the things the appearance of something obviously intended for competition, emphasizing too their “limited production” status. The 1975 Torana L34 (and the 1977 A9X) was an extreme example, leaving exposed the bolts attaching the flares to the fenders.
Peter Brock (1945-2006) in his self-built Austin A30 Holden sports sedan (left), Hume Weir, circa 1969 and Harry Lefoe's Hillman Imp (right) at the same circuit in 1971. Both were typical of the racing cars built by amateurs in the 1960s to compete in events with very loose regulations. The prevailing theory seems to have been to find the smallest possible car and add to it the largest engine which fell conveniently to hand. Brock used a 179 cubic inch (2.9 litre) Holden six in the little car which had begun life with a 803 cm3 (49 cubic inch) four yet even that wasn’t the most extreme of the time. The Hillman Imp's light-weight and diminutive dimensions held great appeal for Australian earth-moving contractor Harry Lefoe (1936-2000) who had a spare 302 cubic inch (4.9 litre) Ford (Windsor) V8 sitting in his workshop. By then, the Imp was a Chrysler product but because the published guidelines of the Australian Sports Sedan Association (ASSA) restricted engines to those from cars built by the manufacturer of the body-shell, the small-block Ford V8 could be put in an Imp because it had been used in the earlier Sunbeam Tiger. So the big lump of an iron V8 replaced the Imp's 875 cm3 (53 cubic inch) aluminium four and such was the difference in size that Lefoe insisted his Imp had become "mid-engined" although it seems not to have imparted the handling characteristics associated with the configuration, the stubby hybrid infamous for its tendency to travel sideways. It was never especially successful but it was loud, fast, spectacular and always a crowd favourite. Also typical was the simple “flaring” of the wheel arches, easily crafted with sheet metal and often integrated with aerodynamic “improvements” created with by guesswork rather than wind-tunnels or computer emulations. The technique was known as the “square flare”.
1974 Ford Cologne Capri. Factories with bigger budgets sometimes use both wind-tunnels and computer emulation to optimize the shape of flares, often using them to direct airflow to radiators or brakes as well as permit the fitment of wider tyres.
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300E (left) and 1991 Mercedes-Benz 500E; note the modest flared wheel arches on the 500E which added about two inches to the width of the car, something which proved surprisingly significant.
In 1991, Mercedes-Benz finally gave the W124 (1984-1995
(body-styles other than the four-door sedan would remain in production until
1997 and 46 500Es were actually built in 1990)) an engine with the power to
exploit the fine underpinnings. The 500E
(later E500 when the naming system was updated) was a response to demand from
those who hankered after something like the old 300SEL 6.3 (W109 1968-1972) as
well as a long-overdue model to compete with BMW’s M5 but, with development of
the new S-Class (W140 1991-1998) over-budget and behind schedule, the production
work on the 500E project was out-sourced to Porsche. Porsche’s engineers did a good job mating the
5.0 litre (303 cubic inch) V8 to the chassis, a task which included some
modifications to the suspension and a flaring of the wheel arches to
accommodate the wider track. So subtle
were the flares that they’re almost imperceptible to the casual viewer and
without a standard W124 with which to compare, probably few notice. That’s not surprising given the 500E was a modest
56 mm (2.2 inches) wider than the more prosaic models (1,796 mm (70.7 in) vs 1,740
mm (68.5 in)).
However, those two-odd inches of additional width created
by the wheel arch flares proved an unanticipated obstacle to volume
production, the prototype found to be too wide to proceed at several points on the W124
production line. As a glitch (in communication
and systems management rather than engineering), it recalled an incident which
afflicted the somewhat more ambitious Hubble Space Telescope (HST) which, upon
deployment, was found to have one incorrectly ground mirror which blurred the view. In software and
hardware, NASA found a solution, a part of which was effected during a celebrated
(and anyway scheduled) servicing mission.
On Earth, things were simpler for Mercedes-Benz which contracted with
Porsche to handle part of the production process, the cars shuttled by truck
between the two factories, located a few miles apart in Stuttgart. That was inconvenient for Mercedes-Benz but fortuitous for Porsche, which, hard-hit
by the recession-induced downturn in the sports car market, needed something to make use of their now substantially idle facilities. The well-publicized arrangement meant it took
eighteen days to complete every 500E but it added to the allure of the car and
even at a very high price, 10,479 were sold and they were in many ways the
blueprint for the AMG range which followed.
Encouraged by the success, the factory released the 400E (1991-1995 and
later renamed E420) which, with a 4.2 litre (256 cubic inch) V8, didn’t demand
the fitment of the five litre car’s wider track and flared wheel arches. Being thus able to use
the standard W124 production line, it was built at a much lower cost and
22,802 were sold.
Built by Ferrari: 1973 Dino 246GTS with "chairs & flares" options.
The rhyming colloquialism “chairs and flares” (C&F to the Ferrari cognoscenti and these days the early Dinos are an accepted part of the family) is a reference to a pair of (separately available) options available on later production Dino 246s. The options were (1) seats with inserts (sometimes in a contasting color) in the style used on the 365GTB/4 (Daytona) & (2) wider Campagnolo Elektron wheels (which the factory only ever referred to by size) which necessitated flared wheel-arches. In the early 1970s the factory wasn’t too punctilious in the keeping of records so it’s not known how many cars were originally built equipped with the wider (7½ x 14” vs 6½ x 14”) wheels but some privately maintained registers exist and on the basis of these it’s believed production was probably between 200-250 cars from a total run of 3569 (2,295 GT coupés & 1,274 GTS spyders (targa)). They appear to have been most commonly ordered on UK & US market cars (although the numbers for Europe are described as “dubious” and thought an under-estimate; there are also an unknown number in other countries), the breakdown of verified production being:
246GT: UK=22, Europe=5, US=5.
246GTS: UK=21, Europe=2, US=91.
The “chairs and flares” cars are those which have both the Elektron option and the Daytona-style seats but because they were available separately, some were built with only one of the two, hence the existence of other slang terms in the Dino world including “Daytona package”, “Sebring spyders” and, in the UK, the brutish “big arches”. In 1974, the Dino's option list (in US$) comprised:
Power windows: $270.00
Metalic Paint: $270.00
Leather upholstery: &450.00
Daytona type central seat panels: $115.00
Air-conditioning: $770.00
14 x 7½ wheels & fender flares: $680.00
AM/FM/SW radio: $315.00
Electric antenna & speakers: $100.00
At a combined US$795.00, the C&F combination has proved a good investment, now adding significantly to the price of the anyway highly collectable Dino. Although it's hard to estimate the added value because so many other factors influence calculation, all else being equal, the premium would seem to to be well over US$100,000. Because it involves only wheels, upholstery and metal, the modifications are not technically difficult to emulate although the price of a modified vehicle will not match that of an original although unlike some of the more radical modifications to Ferraris (such as conversions to roadsters), creating a C&F out of a standard 246 seems not to lower its value. These things are always relative; in 1974 the C&F option added 5.2% to the Dino GTS's list price and was just under a third the cost of a new small car such as the Chevrolet Vega.
Gas flaring on off-shore oil-rig.
It’s surprising gas flaring isn’t more controversial than it is. A practice which dates from the earliest days of oil extraction, it was originally merely a safety procedure, disposing of the surplus and unwanted gas unavoidably associated with oil production but has long been recognized as wasteful of a valuable natural resource which, if harvested, could be used to generate energy now produced by more polluting sources such as coal. The volume of gas flared annually (ie burned off in the atmosphere) is sufficient to satisfy the energy needs of all sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the flaring process, which annually burns some 144 billion m3 of gas, is estimated to contribute to the atmosphere about 2.8 kilograms of CO2 equivalent emissions for each m3, resulting in over 400 million tons of CO2 annually and, the methane emissions resulting from the inefficiency of the flare combustion contribute significantly to global warming. This is especially acute in the medium term because methane is over 80 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas so on a 20-year timeframe, the multiplier effect means the annual CO2 equivalent emissions are increased by nearly 100 million tons. There are technical solutions to this which would remove the need for most flaring as well as providing a valuable energy source less polluting than coal or diesel but, for the oil industry, the economics are not compelling. Nor, given the relationships between the fossil-fuel industry and politicians, does there seem to be any hint of political will to pursue the issue.
