fleer

English

Possibly from a Scandinavian source, compare Norwegian bokmål flire (“to giggle”), Jutish Danish flire.

fleer (third-person singular simple present fleers, present participle fleering, simple past and past participle fleered)

(archaic) To make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn
Synonyms: deride, sneer, mock, gibe; see also Thesaurus:deride
- 1599, Shakespeare, William, Much Ado About Nothing, act 5, scene 1:
  LEONATO. Tush, tush, man! never fleer and jest at me:
  I speak not like a dotard nor a fool,
  As, under privilege of age, to brag
  What I have done being young, or what would do,
  Were I not old.
- 1837, Carlyle, Thomas, The French Revolution: A History:
  [I]n short, sneering and fleering at him in her cold barren way[.]
(archaic) To grin with an air of civility; to leer.
Synonyms: fligger; see also Thesaurus:to smile
- 1552, Latimer, Hugh, The Fifth Sermon Preached on the Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Trinity, 1552; republished in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, and Constant Martyr of Jesus Christ, Hugh Latimer, Some Time Bishop of Worcester, volume 2, London: James Duncan, 1824, page 212:
  In the time of popery, before the gospel came amongst us, we went to burials with weeping and wailing, as though there were no God: but since the gospel came unto us, I have heard say, that in some places they go with the corses grinning and flearing, as though they went to a bear-baiting; […]

to make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn

fleer (uncountable)

From flee +‎ -er.

fleer (plural fleers)

one who flees
- 1598, R. Grenewey, Annales, translation of original by Tacitus:
  Which fear of the fleers away was no less ignominious, then if […] they had turned their backs to the enemie.