Now Sc. and dial. Also 5 clege, 6 clegge, 7–9 clegg. [a. ON. kleggi, mod.Norw. klegg.] A gadfly, horse-fly or breeze.

1

a. 1449.  W. Bower, in Fordun’s Scotichron. (1759), II. 376. The unlatit woman … pungis as the cleg.

2

1483.  Cath. Angl., 66. A Clege.

3

1570.  Levins, Manip., 53. A clegge, flée, solipunga.

4

1656.  Burton’s Diary (1828), I. 308. Sir Christopher Pack did cleave like a clegg, and was very angry he could not be heard ad infinitum.

5

1658.  Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 936. The English [call it] a Burrel-fly, Stowt, and Breese: and also of sticking and clinging, Cleg and Clinger.

6

1855.  Robinson, Whitby Gloss., Clegs, the large grey flies which torment horses and cattle in summer. ‘He sticks like a cleg.’

7

1872.  Daily News, 24 Aug., 5/4. For animals of their size, ‘clegs’ are exceedingly light-footed.

8

  b.  Comb., as cleg-stung adj.

9

1808.  J. Mayne, Siller Gun, 73.

        Like cattle prodit with a prong,
        Or cleg-stung fillies.

10