noun
or fly·er ˈflī(ə)r, -īə
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from flien to fly + -er — more at fly
1. : one that flies with wings (as a bird or insect) or as if with wings: as
a. : fugitive
b. : aerialist
c. : aircraft
d. : airman
2. usually flyer : one that moves with uncommon speed (as a fast coach or train) — often used in proper names
the Western Flyer
3. : a small dark-spotted greenish sunfish ( Centrarchus macropterus ) found in clear fresh waters near the coast from Virginia southward and in the lower Mississippi valley
4. : a swift kangaroo ; specifically : blue doe
5. : any of various mechanical appliances of swift motion: as
a. : a vaned wheel that rotates the cap of a windmill as the wind veers
b. : a windmill sail
6. : something entered into or undertaken without normal backing or reasonable grounds for assurance : a reckless or speculative venture
took a flier in politics soon after getting his degree
often : a financial investment made with little knowledge of the facts or by one inexperienced in business in the expectation of realizing large profits
7. usually flyer
a. : a handbill or circular for mass distribution (as one bearing a political advertisement or the announcement of a coming sale)
b. : a supplementary catalog (as of a mail-order house)
8. : a step in a straight flight made up of identically rectangular steps — compare winder
9. usually flyers plural : small floating particles ; especially : hop particles in suspension in beer
10. usually flyer , chiefly Britain : delivery 9 — often used in plural but sing. in constr.
11. usually flyer : a device revolving above a spindle to guide and insert twist in slubbing, roving, or yarn and being usually one of a series on a fly frame
12. : a leaf or slip attached at one edge to another usually larger leaf (as of printer's copy or a book) and typically containing an addition or correction
13. : a shot that strikes a target well outside the area in which other shots of the same round have hit