flay

present singular third person flays · participle present flaying · participle past flayed · past flayed · alternative Yorkshire fla · alternative Scotland fley · alternative Scotland flee · alternative Scotland fly · alternative Scotland fleg · alternative Scotland flae · alternative Scotland flea

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectaltransitiveTo cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).
2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectaltransitiveTo frighten; scare; terrify.

   If they'd let me have my way, I could have flayed him into shape

   1979, “The Trial”, in The Wall, performed by Pink Floyd

3. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalintransitiveTo be fear-stricken.

plural flays · alternative Yorkshire fla · alternative Scotland fley · alternative Scotland flee · alternative Scotland fly · alternative Scotland fleg · alternative Scotland flae · alternative Scotland flea

1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA fright; a scare.
2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalFear; a source of fear; a formidable matter; a fearsome or repellent-looking person.

present singular third person flays · participle present flaying · past flayed · archaic past flaid · obsolete past flew · participle past flayed · archaic participle past flaid · obsolete participle past flew · archaic participle past flain

1. To strip the skin off; to skin.

   The farmer flayed him as he had the bear, and so he had both bear-skin and fox-skin.

   1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 113

   Synonyms: fleece, flense, skin

2. To lash or whip.

plural Flays

1. A surname.