I. flan‧nel¹ /ˈflænl/ noun
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: flanen 'type of cloth' (16-19 centuries), from Welsh gwlanen 'woollen cloth']

1. [uncountable] soft cloth, usually made of cotton or wool, used for making clothes:
a flannel shirt

2. [countable] British English a piece of cloth you use to wash yourself Synonym : facecloth, washcloth American English

3. [uncountable] British English informal something that someone says that has no real meaning or does not tell you what you want to know

4. flannels [plural] British English men’s trousers made of flannel

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. flannel² verb (past tense and past participle flannelled, present participle flannelling) [intransitive and transitive] British English
to say things that have no real meaning in order to avoid answering a question directly or to hide your lack of knowledge

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

flannel
noun
ADJ. damp, wet | cold | face
VERB + FLANNEL use Use a damp flannel to clean the skin.
PREP. with a ~ She wiped his eyes and nose with a wet face flannel.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲