pan|cake

pan|cake «PAN _KAYK», noun, verb, -caked, -cak|ing.

–n.

1. a thin, flat cake made of batter and fried or baked in a pan or on a griddle: »

To his lips he raised the buckwheat pancakes, dripping with molasses (Maurice Thompson).

2. a quick, almost flat landing made by an aircraft, as a result of its leveling off and stalling several feet above the ground.

3. a) a facial makeup in the form of a cake, applied as a base for face powder. b) Pan-Cake, a trademark for this makeup.

–v.i.

1. (of an aircraft) to flatten out several feet above the landing surface, stall, and make a quick, almost flat landing.

2. to spread out flat: »

The very abnormal weather conditions…produced bands of warm air pancaked on top of very cold air at temperatures wavering just either side of freezing point (Sunday Times).

–v.t.

to cause (an aircraft) to pancake: »

The pilot pancaked his damaged plane onto an open field.

Usage Pancake, griddlecake, though often used as synonyms, are usually differentiated in cookbooks. Pancake applies particularly to a relatively light and thin cake, often resembling the crêpes of French cookery. Griddlecake applies to a somewhat thicker and heavier cake.