Sc. and north. dial. Forms: 4–6, 9 flech(e, 4 fleeche, 4, 6 flesche, 6 fleache, 5–6 flei(s)che, 6 fleitsche, 7 fleitch, 7–8 fleetch, 9 dial. flaich, 6– fleech. [Of obscure origin; the identity of the senses with those of OTeut. *plaihan and its derivatives (Goth. ga-plaihan to treat kindly, console, OHG. flêhôn, flêhen to fondle, flatter, beseech, MHG. vlêhen, mod.Ger. flehen to beseech, Du. vleien to flatter) suggests that the word may represent an OE. *flǽcean:—OTeut. type *plaikjan, related to *plaihan, as OE. tǽcean TEACH v. to téon(:—*tîhan).]
trans. To beguile, cajole, coax, wheedle; to entice, wheedle into going, to a place. Also, in good sense: To beseech, entreat. Also absol. and intr. (const. on, with), to speak coaxingly or beseechingly; to flatter, fawn.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, V. 619.
| Bot he, with fals vordis flechand, | |
| Ves vith his sonnys ay cumand. |
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, Blasius, 179.
| & hyme cane flesche, & mak tysyng, | |
| fore to fore-sak crist his kynge. |
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xi. 154.
| And wyth þe Lang schankis þis Edwart | |
| Sayd flechand til þe Brws Robert, | |
| Ðat, [etc.]. |
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 121.
| Voluptuous, full of gulositie, | |
| And louit men weill that culd fleche and le. |
1580. Sir P. Hume, Promise Jas. VI., L’envoi, 9.
| Syne sum seditious craftie knaifis Inding, | |
| Will say, perhaps, thow dois but fleiche the King. |
1603. Philotus, ix.
| I can with fair anis fleitch and flatter, | |
| And win ane Crown bot with ane clatter, | |
| That gars me brink gude wyne for watter. |
1718. Ramsay, Christ’s Kirk, III. xxii.
| She fleech’d him fairly to his bed, | |
| Wi ca’ing him her burdy. |
1792. Burns, Duncan Grey, ii.
| Duncan fleech’d, and Duncan pray’d, | |
| Ha, ha, the wooing o’t. |
a. 1810. Tannahill, Poems (1815), 101.
| ’Twas ther the jealous Barrone livit, | |
| Witht Lady Anne hys wyfe, | |
| He fleichit her neath that wudis dark glume, | |
| And revit hyr ther of lyfle. |
1820. Scott, Abbot, xvi. Come Papist, come Protestant, ye are all the same. The Papist threatened us with Purgatory, and fleeched us with pardons—the Protestant mints at us with his sword, and cuittles us with the liberty of conscience; but never a one of either says, ‘Peter, there is your penny.’
1834. M. Scott, Cruise Midge, i. Better fleech with a madman than fecht with him.
1873. Swaledale Gloss., Flaich, to flatter, to coax, to fawn.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xix. This lad that has come here and seen us at our worst, and seen the goodman fleeching like a suitor, him that by rights should give his commands like any king.
1894. Crockett, Raiders, xlv. 334. He would often fleech on me to take part in the exercises.
