To search someone's body or clothing quickly for weapons or contraband, or to move playfully and energetically.
From Old French 'fresque' meaning 'lively' or 'brisk,' from Frankish 'frisk.' The word maintained its 'lively' sense while developing a secondary legal meaning for body searches.
The police term 'stop and frisk' became controversial because data showed it was applied unequally based on race, and the word itself sounds almost playful, but the practice itself revealed biased enforcement patterns that sparked major civil rights discussions.
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