flange

plural flanges

1. An external or internal rib or rim, used either to add strength or to hold something in place.
2. The projecting edge of a rigid or semi-rigid component.
3. roleplaying gamesAn ability in a role-playing game which is not commonly available, overpowered or arbitrarily imposed by the referees.

   [The] enduring problem with the Gathering is that [players] can't affect anything that happens ... whatever they do, the LT just flange it back to the original plot line.

   1998, Mr MI Pennington, “Can the Players be Trusted?”, in rec.games.frp.live-action (Usenet)

   1 more example

   2007, "balor", Changing the metaphysics on Rule 7 https://web.archive.org/web/20071014193135/http://forums.rule7.co.uk/Topic28357-44-2.aspx 'Oh look, the amulet of flange has been activated, this means all Paladins now only have one heal per day instead of two.'

4. slangvulgarThe vulva.

   'God, she's got a tight flange!' the plumber gasped, splaying the girl's buttocks and focusing on her O-ring.

   2003, Ray Gordon, Hot Sheets

   1 more example

   I was in bed the other day with the missus and I asked to see her flange. Imagine my surprise when she got up went downstairs to my toolbox and brought me up a metal looking object called a flange!!!!! Needless to say when she asked to see my nuts the next time I obliged by doing exactly the same as her.

   2001, tedfat, “Flange!!!!”, in alt.society.nottingham (Usenet)

5. collectivehumorousrareA group of baboons.

   it's a flange of baboons

   1980s (first use), Not the Nine O'clock News, Rowan Atkinson (actor)

   3 more examples

   I suspect they hired a flange of baboons to mind the house.

   2006, Rick Crosier, Getting Away with Murder

   two of the larger male members of the flange of baboons were jumping up and down as if in the latter stages of some mating ritual

   2007, Phil Ball, The Hapless Teacher's Handbook, Ebury Publishing, page 219

   I just watched a crazy video where a solo leopard attacked a flange of baboons.

   2023 August 18, thebligg, “ow many baboons does it take to kill a leopard?”, in reddit, archived from the original on 27 Jul 2026

   Synonyms: congress

6. The electronic sound distortion produced by a flanger.

present singular third person flanges · participle present flanging · participle past flanged · past flanged

1. intransitiveTo be bent into a flange.
2. transitiveengineeringTo make a flange on; to furnish with a flange; to bend (esp. sheet metal) in the form of a flange.
3. transitivesound engineeringTo mix two copies of together, one delayed by a very short, slowly varying time.