(a) Any insect that flies, such as a fly, bee, butterfly, moth, gnat, beetle, locust; (b) in combs.: blak ~; blodi ~; red ~; gret or long ~, locust; bote (bode) ~, ?botfly; ~ of hound, ?dog fly.

An insect of the family Muscidae, esp. the common fly or housefly.

Combs.: (a) fle-kage, ?flytrap; (b) fle-flappe, fli-, a fan for driving away flies, ?a fly swatter; (c) fle-wing, fli-, a fly's wing; some kind of small nail.

In proverbs and sayings: (a) something worthless; a flies bit (biting), a trifling injury; counten at a ~, to reckon (something) as of the same value as a fly; nought geven two flies; nought worth a ~; etc.; (b) the blinde eteth mani a ~, the blind eats many a fly; flen, flies, and freres, fleas, flies, and friars; ~ folweth the honi, a fly (or a bee) is attracted by honey; knouen a ~ in milk, to perceive the obvious; sihen þe gnat and swolwen the ~, to strain at a gnat and swallow a fly.