flaky

adj 1: made of or easily forming flakes [syn: {flakey}]

2: conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual;

"restaurants of bizarre design--one like a hat, another

like a rabbit"; "famed for his eccentric spelling"; "a

freakish combination of styles"; "the outlandish clothes

of teenagers"; "outre and affected stage antics" [syn: {bizarre},

{eccentric}, {freakish}, {freaky}, {outlandish}, {outre}]

flaky

(Or "flakey") Subject to frequent {lossage}. This use is of

course related to the common slang use of the word to describe

a person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. A system

that is flaky is working, sort of - enough that you are

tempted to try to use it - but fails frequently enough that

the odds in favour of finishing what you start are low.

Commonwealth hackish prefers {dodgy}.

[{Jargon File}]

(1996-01-05)