Crossword clues for flout
flout
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Flout \Flout\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Flouting.] [OD. fluyten to play the flute, to jeer, D. fluiten, fr. fluit, fr. French. See Flute.] To mock or insult; to treat with contempt.
Phillida flouts me.
--Walton.
Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky.
--Byron.
Flout \Flout\, v. i. To practice mocking; to behave with contempt; to sneer; to fleer; -- often with at.
Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout.
--Swift.
Flout \Flout\, n. A mock; an insult.
Who put your beauty to this flout and scorn.
--Tennyson.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"treat with disdain or contempt" (transitive), 1550s, intransitive sense "mock, jeer, scoff" is from 1570s; of uncertain origin; perhaps a special use of Middle English flowten "to play the flute" (compare Middle Dutch fluyten "to play the flute," also "to jeer"). Related: Flouted; flouting.
Wiktionary
n. The act by which something is flouted. vb. 1 To express contempt for the rules by word or action. 2 To scorn.
WordNet
Usage examples of "flout".
Our cavalla had to be forced to embrace the musketry and marksmanship that flouted the traditions of old knighthood.
A combination of cheeseparing cautionusing privateers for outsystem operations cost less than funding a real space navyand exuberant flouting of the rules, such as they were, that governed such uses.
If she were not merely a Queen of Scotland but also a Dauphine of France they would think twice about flouting her in favour of the bastard.
He shuddered to think of the propaganda victory Gandhi would win if he got away with flouting German ordinances.
Although Artaxerxes was grateful to Megabyzus for saving his life, he was outraged that an ancient custom had been flouted.
Saddam to undermine the inspections himself, flout the authority of the Security Council, and make the United States look impotent.
And Master Lynch bade him have a care to flout and witwanton as the god self was angered for his hellprate and paganry.
I know them, yea,And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple,--Scrambling, out-facing, fashion-monging boys,That lie and cog and flout, deprave and slander,Go anticly, show outward hideousness,And speak off half a dozen dangerous words,How they might hurt their enemies, if they durst.
I know them, yea, And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple, -- Scrambling, out-facing, fashion-monging boys, That lie and cog and flout, deprave and slander, Go anticly, show outward hideousness, And speak off half a dozen dangerous words, How they might hurt their enemies, if they durst.
The remains of the shapeshifter fell dutifully to the ground, the biomimetic cells unable any longer to alter form, unable to flout gravity.
Anyone attempting to flout this custom is promptly blackjacked by Fast Eddie the piano player and dumped in the alley.
You can fuck around with masculinity and femininity by heightening them, by flattening them, by caricaturing them, by placing them ostentatiously in quotation marks, or by crossing or conflating them in ways that violently flout our usual expectations.
There had been small breaches of conduct to be concealed from her elders, jealous girls to be flouted or placated, styles of dresses and materials to be chosen, different coiffures to be tried and, oh, so many, many other matters to be decided!
Then they flouted me with my dejections, welcomed me to the place, wished me joy, bid me have a good heart, not to be cast down, things might not be so bad as I feared, and the like.
I will do so therefore in the present case by telling you that I consider your boasts of the splendour of your city and of it's superb hackney coaches as a flout, and declaring that would not give the polite, self-denying, feeling, hospitable, goodhumoured people of this country and their amability in every point of view, (tho' it must be confessed our streets are somewhat dirty, and our fiacres rather indifferent) for ten such races of rich, proud, hectoring, swearing, squibbing, carnivorous animals as those among whom you are.