Noun

(flurries)

A brief snowfall.

A sudden and brief blast or gust; a light, temporary breeze.

a flurry of wind

A shower of dust, leaves etc. brought on by a sudden gust of wind.

Any sudden activity; a stir.

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=10 citation , passage=With a little manœuvring they contrived to meet on the doorstep which was […] in a boiling stream of passers-by, hurrying business people speeding past in a flurry of fumes and dust in the bright haze.}}

* 1998 , Gillian Catriona Ramchand, Deconstructing the Lexicon , in Miriam Butt and Wilhelm Geuder, eds. “The Projection of Arguments”

These [argument structure] modifications are important because they have provoked a flurry of investigation into argument structure operations of merger, demotion etc.

* {{quote-news, year=2011, date=January 8, author=Chris Bevan, title=Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds

, work=BBC citation , passage=The Championship highflyers almost got their reward for a resilient performance on their first visit to the Emirates, surviving a flurry of first-half Arsenal chances before hitting back with a classic sucker punch.}}

A snack consisting of soft ice cream with small pieces of fruit, cookie, etc.

* 1988 , K. Wayne Wride, Fruit Treats'' (in ''Vegetarian Times number 134, October 1988, page 27)

Does your "Forbidden Foods" list include banana splits, ice cream sundaes, slurpies, popsicles, frozen yogurts, milk shakes, and ice cream flurries ? These foods taste great but have a reputation for being bad for your health.

* 2002 , Tampa Bay Magazine (volume 17, number 3, May-June 2002, page 235)

They will make your tongue smile with their homemade ice cream, which was voted "Best Taste in the USA Today." Enjoy exciting toppings to personalize your treat or a yummy sundae, flurry , smoothie, banana split or shake...

The violent spasms of a dying whale.

Noun

(en noun)

A river flood; an overflow or inundation.

* 17thC , '', from a Latin original, published in ''Collected works of Sir Thomas Browne (1836),

Only let your language match your subject, then it will be shapely and free; but take care all the time not to overwhelm your work in a spate of words to attain the fluency of Isaeus; and that it slip not out too freely, avoid the danger of Strada.

* c.1856-1885 , ,

The last tall son of Lot and Bellicent,

And tallest, Gareth, in a showerful spring

Stared at the spate . A slender-shafted Pine

Lost footing, fell, and so was whirled away.

* 1900 , ,

At Odendaal, where he had hoped to cross, the river was in spate , the British flag waved from a post upon the further side, and a strong force of expectant Guardsmen eagerly awaited him there.

* 1902 , ,

The glacial drip was already in evidence, and every creek in roaring spate .

* 1910 , ,

At the edge of the burn, where the path turns downward, there is a patch of shingle washed up by some spate .

A sudden rush or increase.

* 1887 , '', in ''The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables ,

He couldnae weel tell how - maybe it was the cauld to his feet - but it cam' in upon him wi' a spate that there was some connection between thir twa, an' that either or baith o' them were bogles.

* 1964 , United States Supreme Court, ,

The spate of similar cases filed and decided by lower courts since our decision in Baker [v. Carr] amply shows that the problem of state legislative malapportionment is one that is perceived to exist in a large number of the States.

* 2009 April, ,

A recent spate of controversies, including Chinese mineral giant Chinalco’s Rio Tinto bid and revelations of hushed meetings between the Chinese propaganda chief and Australian media bosses, have once again brought the issue of our deepening relationship with China to the fore.

* '>citation