Obs. exc. Sc. and north. Forms: 3–9 flay, (5 flaey), 4–6 fle, (7 flea, 8 flee), 6 flie, 7–8 fly. See FLEG. *fllȝan, *fléȝan (found in the compound á-flýȝan: see AFLEY) = ON. fleyja, OHG. (ar-)flaugen, Goth. (us-)flaugjan:—OTeut. *flaugjan, causative of fleugan to FLY.]
1. trans. To put to flight, frighten away. Also with away.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1602.
| Ah an se swiðe swote smal | |
| com anan þrefter, | |
| þæt fleide awei þe fearlac. |
c. 1325. Metr. Hom., 69.
| That thurght meknes, many tyme | |
| Flayed he fendes fell fra hyme. |
c. 1450. Bk. Hawkyng, in Rel. Ant., I. 298. Loke that thu be not dronkelowe ne lecherous daylyng with wommen, for if thu handell thy hawke afterwardes with thi handes unwasch, forsoth thu fleyst thyn hawke, because thei hate filthede above all thyng.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxiii. 217.
| Quhair is ȝour wit, ȝour ressoun, sence, and feill, | |
| To fle away my husband Commoun-weill? |
a. 1605. Polwart, Flyting w. Montgomerie, 211.
| And thinkes like fooles, to fley all faes, | |
| With targets, tulȝies, and toome talk. |
1871. C. Gibbon, Lack of Gold, xxi. ‘Ye may fley the Laird from the country, and gar the miller rue that he ever sought him for his daughter.’
1876. Whitby Gloss., Flay, to scare away.
2. To frighten, scare, terrify.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 17288 + 359 (Cott.).
| Bot wymmen flayed vus foule | |
| with wordez þat þai saide. |
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVI. 217.
| Thai war so felly fleyit thar, | |
| That, [as] I trow, Richard of clar [etc.]. |
c. 1450. Life of St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 2374. Þai flowe away as þai were flayde.
1563. Davidson, Confut. Kennedy, in Wodr. Soc. Misc. (1844), 208. Thay walde faine fley us with the wynde of the worde of perturbatione, as we suld oversee and neglect the worke and wyll of God.
1721. J. Kelly, Scot. Prov., 391. You are more flay’d than hurt. Spoken to timorous People who make a great out-cry upon the distant Appearance of Danger.
1785. Burns, Death & Dr. Hornbook, ix.
| It spake right howe—‘My name is Death, | |
| But be na fley’d.’ |
1849. C. Brontë, Shirley, v. 46. It ’s sport to us to watch ’em turn up the whites o’ their een, and spreed out their bits o’ hands, like as they ’re flayed wi’ bogards.
1889. Nicholson, Folk-speech E. Yorksh., 33. Poor Billy was ommast flaid oot ov his wits, an thowt he was getten, bud when he fan his legs, he peg-legged away full pelt.
3. intr. To be afraid or frightened.
1768. A. Ross, Helenore, I. 378.
| Nory poor ’oman had some farther gane,For Lindy fly’d, an’ standin’ was her lane. |
a. 1776. in Herd, Collect., II. 216.
| The feint a body was therein, ye need na fley’d for being seen; | |
| Hey how JOHNY lad, ye’re no sae kind’s ye sud hae been. |
4. Comb. flay-crake, -crow, a scarecrow.
1788. W. Marshall, Yorksh. Gloss. (E.D.S.), *Flay-crake; a scare-crow.
1883. M. G. Watkins, May-fly Fishing, in Longm. Mag., II. June, 166. He has suddenly started at coming across a ‘flaycrake’ among the young wheat.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss. (ed. 2), 153. *Flay-craw, Something to frighten crows; a scarecrow.
1852. R. S. Surtees, Sponge’s Sp. Tour, xiv. 72. Instead of having to wear the last keeper’s cast-offs, and a hat that would disgrace anything but a flay-crow.
Hence Fleyed ppl. a., frightened; afraid; timorous. Const. of. Also Fleyedly (flietlie), adv.; Fleyedness.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VI. xviii. 1925.
| (And he the Dewil wes, that hym gat) | |
| And bad hyr noucht fleyd to be of that. |
c. 1450. Henryson, Poems (1865), 206. Quhill that the Wolf for fleidnes fylit the field.
1533. Gau, Richt Vay (1888), 107. Zour fleyit conscience.
1563. Winȝet, Four Scoir Thre Questions, To Rdr., Wks. 1888, I. 49–50. Specialie of the subdane change of sum cunning clerkis, of the silence and fleitnes of wtheris, and of the maist arrogant presumptioun approwin specialie in the ignorant.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., IX. 215. Quhilk … waik throuch feir ouer flietlie stude abak.
a. 1605. Polwart, Flyting w. Montgomerie, 781. Fleyd foole, mad muile! die with doole on ane aike.
1674. Ray, N. C. Words, 26 (1691). A flaid Coxcomb, a fearful Fellow.
1676. W. Row, Contin. Blair’s Autobiog., xii. (1848), 539. When the counsellors came out of their coaches Sharp (who was as flyed as a fox) clave close to the Chancellor’s back.
1850. [Mrs. Lear], Tales Kirkbeck, Ser. II. 121. ‘I’se flayed on’t,’ Elky exclaimed, shrinking back.
