!Flashing!

Last week, I was made aware of the concept of driving lingo. I use it all the time without even realizing. Last week, I was behind the wheel, and I mentioned to my passenger something about flashing people on the road. A non-driver, she heard “flashing” and her imagination immediately was way off the road. She resisted the urge to question my most unexpected exclamation.

When I talk about “flashing people,” I mean repeatedly shining my bright lights at pedestrians who walk dangerously on the road. It’s something I feel is my duty as a driver. I flash people who do not wear reflectors. I flash people who are too close to oncoming traffic. I flash my bright lights all the time.

Apparently, it was a foreign concept to my passenger that “to flash” could have any other meaning.