noun

a kind of soft woven fabric, typically made of wool or cotton and slightly milled and raised.

a check flannel shirt

verb

use bland fluent talk to avoid addressing a difficult subject or situation directly.

he apologised for the situation and then flannelled on about ramping up production

use flattery,talk blarney,flatter,prevaricate,hedge,equivocate,be evasive,vacillate,blather,evade/dodge the issue,stall,hum and haw,waffle,shilly-shally,soft-soap,sweet-talk,butter someone up,pussyfoot around,fast-talk,tergiversate