backflash

I. \\ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\ noun (-es)

Etymology: back (III) + flash

1. : flashback

2. : the act or an instance of backflashing

3. : a groove formed around the outer portion of the flash to receive the metal squeezed through the flash in sinking an upper die — called also gutter

II. intransitive verb

1. : to flash back (as of a gas) and burn at a point where combustion is not intended

2. of a literary or dramatic work : to introduce a flashback into the narrative

the script backflashes to a day in his life 10 years before

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/bak"flash'/, n.

a flashback: Backflashes of the heroine's childhood fill in gaps in the novel's narrative.

[1930-35; BACK² + FLASH]