HOT TIPS : FLINGSHOT LETS YOU HAVE A LAUGH AT THE BOSS'S EXPENSE.

Byline: Barbara De Witt

The boss threw her monthly hissy fit, your househusband washed his red socks with your white blouse again, and your co-worker stabbed you in the back - and the week isn't over yet.

Sometimes, thinks Miz Hot Tips, there just isn't enough comic relief to get you through the day, but talk-show queen Rosie O'Donnell has a stress-buster worth a try. It's the special edition Koosh FlingShot in her favorite color combo of pink, yellow and purple, that sends fluffy little Koosh balls flying softly through the air to bounce off walls and the boss's head (whoops, it was an accident).

The special-edition toy is $9.99 and proceeds benefit For All The Kids Foundation, a charity founded by O'Donnell. Look for it at toy and department stores.

Shades of the '60s: It's like soooo embarrassing, but Miz Hot Tips admits to being a flower child. With no money - or stick-shift skills - she couldn't have the ultimate flower-power car (a VW Bug) to decorate with giant adhesive daisies, so she had to settle for Mom's old '63 Impala.

So, when she learned that Franklin Mint was now selling Flower Power VW Beetles, a special collection of hand-painted, tiny metal cars, a wave of nostalgia swept over her. The super-cute, precision engineered replica is $90. To order, write to Franklin Mint Precision Models, Franklin Center, Pa. 19091-0001.

Vicarious thrills: Miss ``Murder, She Wrote?'' Wish there was a mystery to solve or a life more exciting than yours to live?

Then get the Armchair Detectives Mystery Puzzle Game ($20), which allows you to hear a recorded mystery and then break into teams to solve the mystery while putting a 300-piece puzzle together.

Another new adventure is the Star Trek: Captain's Chair computer game that lets you sit in Capt. Kirk's chair on the USS Enterprise and roam the virtual bridge. It's a Trekker dream come true with the crew's voices and a 3-D walk-through tour of the ship. The game, which debuted this month, is priced at $39.95.

Pinch an inch: Miz Hot Tips remembers when people floated in water and gym gurus somehow magically measured a person's fat content. And then there were the caliper pinchers that required multiple measurements of your spare tire, thunder thighs and underarm flab ... but now there's an easy way for those folks who have a need to know EXACTLY how much fat they're packing.

It's called Body Logic, a hand-held gizmo from Omron Healthcare that determines body fat with the press of a button by using bioimpedance technology to measure your body's resistance to a weak electric current. The fat analyzer displays your fat mass percentage and weight, so it's not for the faint of heart. Approved by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, Body Logic costs $99, plus batteries. For more details, call [phone].

Those were the days: Catalog shopping isn't new. Sure, it's reached a higher plane with a zillion different specialty outlets selling everything from crotchless panties to kitty castles, but 100 years ago the catalog of dreams was the 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue with everything from corsets to horseless carriages. For your friend or family member who yearns for the good old days, Chelsea House Publishers has reproduced that 736-page catalog, priced at $19.95. It's a piece of history that will look great on the coffee table.

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Photo: The Volkswagen Beetle was the symbol of flower power.