English

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Etymology

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From fly +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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flyness (uncountable)

  1. (African-American Vernacular, slang) The quality of being sharp or smart in appearance.
    • 1999, Vibe, volume 7, numbers 1-2:
      The charismatic 29-year-old Harlemite is the premier gladiator in a subterranean realm where the quest for flyness is the prime directive.
    • 2004, Cheryl Lynette Keyes, Rap music and street consciousness, page 194:
      The fly personae in these films influenced a wave of black contemporary youth who resurrected flyness and its continuum in hip-hop culture.