Nearby Words

flinching

[flinch] Origin

flinch

1[flinch]
verb (used without object)
1.
to draw back or shrink, as from what is dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant.
2.
to shrink under pain; wince.
3.
Croquet. to let the foot slip from the ball in the act of croqueting.
verb (used with object)
4.
to draw back or withdraw from.

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Flinching is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
noun
5.
an act of flinching.

Origin:
1555–65; perhaps nasalized variant of dial. flitch to flit, shift one's position

flinch·er, noun
flinch·ing·ly, adverb


1. recoil, withdraw, blench.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

flinch

2[flinch]
verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To flinching
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flinch
1570s, from obsolete flecche "to bend, flinch," probably from O.Fr. flenchir "to bend," from Frank. *hlankjan (cf. M.H.G. linken, Ger. lenken "to bend, turn, lead"). Related: Flinched; flinching.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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