If you're taking flak, chances are you're in a bad situation and taking fire from an enemy. Flak can refer to criticism — or worse, explosive shells from an antiaircraft weapon. Flak came into English as an abbreviation for the German word Fliegerabwehrkanone, meaning 'aircraft-defense gun.

What does it mean to get flak for something?

If you get a lot of flak from someone, they criticize you severely. If you take flak, you get the blame for something. [informal] The president is getting a lot of flak for that. Synonyms: criticism, stick [slang], opposition, abuse More Synonyms of flak.

Where does the term flak come from?

Let's start with “flak.” It traces to Germany in 1938, where it became the shorthand for “fliegerabwehrkanone,” a “pilot-defence-gun,” the Oxford English Dictionary says. (If you look closely, you can see the “fl,” “a,” and “k” hiding in that mouthful.) In other words, it was an anti-aircraft gun.