▪ I. fley, flay, n. Sc. and north. dial.
(fleɪ)
[f. next.]
A fright; also in to get, take (a) fley. Cf. fleg n.1
| 1804 W. Tarras Poems 70, I watna, bit [but] I've gotten a fley. 1813 D. Anderson Poems 80 (Jam.) But bauldly then shook off their flay. Ibid. 121 Timorous fowk tak flay. 1892 Northumbld. Gloss., Flay, a fright. |
▪ II. fley, flay, v. Obs. exc. Sc. and north.
(fleɪ)
Forms: 3–9 flay, (5 flaey), 4–6 fle, (7 flea, 8 flee), 6 flie, 7–8 fly. See fleg.
[OE. *fl{iacu}ᵹan, *fléᵹan (found in the compound á-fl{yacu}ᵹan: 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 An se swiðe swote smal com anan þrefter, þæt fleide awei þe fearlac. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 69 Many tyme Flayed he fendes fell fra hyme. c 1450 Bk. Hawkyng in Rel. Ant. I. 298 If thu handell thy hawke..with thi handes unwasch..thu fleyst thyn hawke..above all thyng. 1572 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxiii. 218 Quhair is ȝour wit..To fle away my husband Common-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.’ 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 [etc.]. c 1450 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. 1721 Kelly Sc. Prov. 391 You are more flay'd than hurt. 1785 Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook ix, ‘My name is Death But be na fley'd.’ 1849 C. Brontë Shirley v. 46 ‘Like as they're flayed wi' bogards.’ 1889 Nicholson Folk-speech E. Yorksh. 33 Poor Billy was ommast flaid oot ov his wits. |
3. intr. To be afraid or frightened.
| 1768 Ross Helenore i. 378 Nory..had some farther gane, For Lindy fly'd. a 1776 in Herd Collect. II. 216 The feint a body was therein, ye need na fley'd for being seen. |
4. Comb. flay-crake, -crow, a scarecrow.
| 1788 W. Marshall Yorksh. Gloss. (E.D.S.) *Flay-crake, a scare-crow. 1883 Longm. Mag. June 166 Coming across a ‘flaycrake’ among the young wheat. |
| 1824 Craven Dial. 74 *Flaycraw. 1852 R. S. Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour xiv. 72 A hat that would disgrace anything but a flay-crow. |
Hence fleyed ppl. a., frightened; afraid; timorous. Const. of. Also ˈfleyedly (flietlie), adv.; ˈfleyedness.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. xviii. 1926 He..bad hyr noucht fleyd to be off 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 Tre Quest. Pref. Wks. 1888 I. 50 Of the silence and fleitnes of wtheris. 1596 Dalrymple tr. 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! 1674 Ray N.C. Words 26 A flaid Coxcomb, a fearful fellow. 1676 Row Suppl. Blair's Autobiog., (1848) xii. 539 Sharp who was as flyed as a fox. 1850 [Mrs. Lear] Tales Kirkbeck Ser. ii. 121 ‘I'se flayed on't’ Elky exclaimed. |
▪ III. fley(e
obs. forms of flay.