What is a single word for the action of causing a single small item to fall out from a sheaf of papers, as by shaking?

Question

The single word would replace "pinching, fanning and shaking out", perhaps as:

He ________ the pages, and the note or the stamp or the pen fell out.

"Riffled" misses, imo, as it suggests the pages of a book, though the process of grasping a book by its binding and shaking... heck, I don't know a word for that either!

The word (i.e. ______) could be done with an untidy stack as long as one could pinch the stack sufficiently

Michael Harvey · Answer

When I started work in an office, I had to load paper into printers, and I had to unwrap and fan each stack of paper before loading it. I also tended an enveloping machine, and I had to shingle each stack of envelopes, as well as fanning the printed letters to be inserted. I agree with your reluctance about riffle, although I also don't agree that it applies to grasping a book by the spine and shaking. Merriam-Webster gives the meaning "to leaf by sliding a thumb along the edge of the leaves: riffle a stack of paper".

Answered by Michael Harvey on December 16, 2020

Jelila · Answer

Fluttered

He fluttered the pages, and the note or the stamp or the pen fell out.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/flutter

What is a single word for the action of causing a single small item to fall out from a sheaf of papers, as by shaking?

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