A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1499-1513, 1627
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Flaf(f, v. [Imitative.] a. tr. To make unsteady. b. intr. To flap, flutter. — a1500 Henr. III. 150/10.
For feir my longis wes flaft, Or I wes dottit or daft 1513 Doug. xii. xiii. 175.
[The owl] Evyn in the face and vissage of Turnus Can fle and flaf 1627 Calderwood VII. 494.
A swanne did flie over their heads … , flaffing with the wings
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"Flaf v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/flaff>
