Cleish

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. In Scots dialect, to beat, thrash or strike someone with repeated blows
2. A Scottish verb meaning to give someone a sound beating or thrashing
3. Chiefly Scots, meaning to hit or flog a person or animal with a stick or hand

Etymology: In Scots, "cleish" means to beat or thrash someone, usually with a stick or strap, and it is recorded in Scottish writing from the early modern period. It is a regional verb, so you will mostly find it in Scots dictionaries and older Scottish texts rather than in standard English. Its exact origin is uncertain. It is generally treated as a native Scots word, and it may be related to other Scots and northern English verbs of striking, such as "clash," though the connection is not firmly established. The place name Cleish in Kinross-shire, with its Cleish Hills, is a separate word and does not explain the verb.

Synonyms: thrash, beat, whack, flog