fly \fly\ flimac, v. i. imp. flew fl=u; p. p. flown
   fl=on; p. pr.  vb. n. flying. oe. fleen, fleen,
   fleyen, flegen, as. fle'ogan; akin to d. vliegen, ohg.
   fliogan, g. fliegen, icel. flj=uga, sw. flyga, dan. flyve,
   goth. us-flaugjan to cause to fly away, blow about, and perh.
   to l. pluma feather, e. plume. root84. cf. fledge,
   flight, flock of animals.
   1. to move in or pass through the air with wings, as a bird.

   2. to move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass
      or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
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   3. to float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
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            man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
                                                  --job v. 7.
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   4. to move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate
      rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around;
      rumor flies.
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            fly, envious time, till thou run out thy race.
                                                  --milton.
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            the dark waves murmured as the ships flew on.
                                                  --bryant.
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   5. to run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an
      enemy or a coward flies. see note under flee.
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            fly, ere evil intercept thy flight.   --milton.
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            whither shall i fly to escape their hands ? --shak.
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   6. to move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly
      or swiftly; -- usually with a qualifying word; as, a door
      flies open; a bomb flies apart.
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   to fly about naut., to change frequently in a short time;
      -- said of the wind.

   to fly around, to move about in haste. colloq.

   to fly at, to spring toward; to rush on; to attack
      suddenly.

   to fly in the face of, to insult; to assail; to set at
      defiance; to oppose with violence; to act in direct
      opposition to; to resist.

   to fly off, to separate, or become detached suddenly; to
      revolt.

   to fly on, to attack.

   to fly open, to open suddenly, or with violence.

   to fly out.
      a to rush out.
      b to burst into a passion; to break out into license.

   to let fly.
      a to throw or drive with violence; to discharge. "a man
          lets fly his arrow without taking any aim." --addison.
      b naut. to let go suddenly and entirely; as, to let
          fly the sheets.
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see also:
flew flown flying fledge flight flock 
flee to fly about to fly around to fly at to fly in the face of 
to fly off to fly on to fly open to fly out to let fly 

let \let\, v. t. imp.  p. p. let letted le^t"te^d,
   obs.; p. pr.  vb. n. letting. oe. leten, laeten
   past tense lat, let, p. p. laten, leten, lete, as.
   l=aetan past tense l=et, p. p. l=aeten; akin to
   ofries. l=eta, os. l=atan, d. laten, g. lassen, ohg.
   l=azzan, icel. l=ata, sw. lata, dan. lade, goth.
   l=etan, and l. lassus weary. the original meaning seems to
   have been, to let loose, let go, let drop. cf. alas,
   late, lassitude, let to hinder.
   1. to leave; to relinquish; to abandon. obs. or archaic,
      except when followed by alone or be.
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            he . . . prayed him his voyage for to let.
                                                  --chaucer.
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            yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets,
            but to her mother nature all her care she lets.
                                                  --spenser.
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            let me alone in choosing of my wife.  --chaucer.
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   2. to consider; to think; to esteem. obs. --chaucer.
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   3. to cause; to make; -- used with the infinitive in the
      active form but in the passive sense; as, let make, i. e.,
      cause to be made; let bring, i. e., cause to be brought.
      obs.
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            this irous, cursed wretch
            let this knight's son anon before him fetch.
                                                  --chaucer.
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            he . . . thus let do slay hem all three. --chaucer.
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            anon he let two coffers make.         --gower.
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   4. to permit; to allow; to suffer; -- either affirmatively,
      by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain
      or prevent.
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   note: in this sense, when followed by an infinitive, the
         latter is commonly without the sign to; as to let us
         walk, i. e., to permit or suffer us to walk. sometimes
         there is entire omission of the verb; as, to let to be
         or to go loose.
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               pharaoh said, i will let you go.   --ex. viii.
                                                  28.
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               if your name be horatio, as i am let to know it
               is.                                --shak.
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   5. to allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to
      lease; to rent; to hire out; -- often with out; as, to let
      a farm; to let a house; to let out horses.
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   6. to give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or
      contract; -- often with out; as, to let the building of a
      bridge; to let out the lathing and the plastering.
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   note: the active form of the infinitive of let, as of many
         other english verbs, is often used in a passive sense;
         as, a house to let i. e., for letting, or to be let.
         this form of expression conforms to the use of the
         anglo-saxon gerund with to dative infinitive which
         was commonly so employed. see gerund, 2. " your
         elegant house in harley street is to let." --thackeray.
         in the imperative mood, before the first person plural,
         let has a hortative force. " rise up, let us go."
         --mark xiv. 42. " let us seek out some desolate shade."
         --shak.
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   to let alone, to leave; to withdraw from; to refrain from
      interfering with.

   to let blood, to cause blood to flow; to bleed.

   to let down.
      a to lower.
      b to soften in tempering; as, to let down tools,
          cutlery, and the like.

   to let fly or to let drive, to discharge with violence,
      as a blow, an arrow, or stone. see under drive, and
      fly.

   to let in or to let into.
      a to permit or suffer to enter; to admit.
      b to insert, or imbed, as a piece of wood, in a recess
          formed in a surface for the purpose.

   to let loose, to remove restraint from; to permit to wander
      at large.

   to let off.
      a to discharge; to let fly, as an arrow; to fire the
          charge of, as a gun.
      b to release, as from an engagement or obligation.
          colloq.

   to let out.
      a to allow to go forth; as, to let out a prisoner.
      b to extend or loosen, as the folds of a garment; to
          enlarge; to suffer to run out, as a cord.
      c to lease; to give out for performance by contract, as
          a job.
      d to divulge.

   to let slide, to let go; to cease to care for. colloq. "
      let the world slide." --shak.
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see also:
let letted letting alas late lassitude 
gerund to let alone to let blood to let down to let fly 
to let drive drive fly to let in to let into 
to let loose to let off to let out to let slide