B733 CREW DEPARTING DCA WERE UNABLE; INITIALLY; TO FULLY RETRACT THE FLAPS. AFTER CHKLIST COMPLIANCE; THE FLAPS RETRACT NORMALLY.

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THE FLAPS WOULD NOT RETRACT FROM 5 DEGS DURING TKOF PHASE OF OUR DCA TO CLE FLT. AS THE PF I MAINTAINED AND NEVER EXCEEDED 210 KTS WHILE THE CAPT SORTED THROUGH THE PROB. WE VERIFIED THAT IT WAS NOT A GAUGE PROB BY REF TO THE OVERHEAD LED DISPLAY. THE CAPT REVIEWED THE QRH AND ATTEMPTED TO GAIN INFO FROM MAINT THROUGH DCA'S OPS FREQ; AFTER THE AIR PHONE WAS FOUND TO BE INOP; HE RAN THE TEST PROC WITH THE CABIN CREW AND DISCUSSED BRIEFLY WITH ME THE PROBABILITY OF DECLARING AN EMER AND RUNNING THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST FOR A HIGH SPD APCH AND LNDG AT DULLES AIRPORT. 10 MINS INTO THE FLT; THE CAPT DID MANAGE TO RETRACT THE FLAPS TO 0 DEGS WITH THE NORMAL FLAP HANDLE. WE CONTINUED ON TO OUR DEST AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL; WITH NORMAL FLAP EXTENSION UPON ARR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 546945: APPROX 10 MINS AFTER DEP (RWY 33 DME FROM IAD) WE GOT THE FLAPS TO RETRACT NORMALLY AND; WITH ATC PERMISSION; PROCEEDED TO DEST. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER. THE FLAPS LINKAGE IS THE PROB. RECOMMEND MORE NEUTRAL TERMS/DESCRIPTIONS OF ONBOARD PROBS WITH ATC/FAA UNTIL TIME TO ASSESS THE ABNORMALITY. IN HANDLING THIS EVENT; I WILL SPEND MORE TIME LISTENING TO AUTHS; FAA AND ATC AND CAREFULLY CHOOSE TERMS. A MAJOR PROB WAS THE 'GTE AIR PHONE' WAS INOP AND I COULDN'T TALK WITH MAINT.