Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1786-1871, 1925
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†FLAIR, v., n. Also flare, and dim. forms †flairy, †flairock.
I. v. To flatter; “to cajole, coax” (Lth. 1808 Jam.; Fif. Ib., flairy); to brag, boast. Phr. a flairockan bodie, a flatterer (Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 304).m.Lth. 1786 G. Robertson Ha'rst Rig (1801) xxxvii.:
Some flairing wife now tells how she Did win a Kemp most manfully.Ayr. 1790 A. Tait Poems 147:
Yer warks the bawdy bodies flairs.ne.Sc. 1871 J. Milne Songs 109:
The warld wagged as well when there wasna sic flairen.Rxb. 1871 H. S. Riddell Poet. Wks. I. 5:
I'm no come here To seich and sab and flare and row.Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 25:
I dinna like fouk flairin' aboot me.
II. n. 1. Flattering talk (Lth. 1808 Jam.); boasting.Edb. 1811 H. MacNeill Bygane Times 23:
Soon find out, in spite o' flare, Wharfrae they come, and what they are.
2. A fuss, a to-do.Dmf. 1823 J. Kennedy Poems 79:
Quo' she, and made an unco flare, I hae nae siller now to spare.
3. In dim. form flairock, a flatterer (Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 304).
[Etym. doubtful. Cf. Norw. dial. flera, to caress. But in view of the relatively recent appearance of the word, it may be merely a semantic development from Eng. flare, to spread out, display.]
