Forms: 4–5 flambe, flaumbe, flaume, flawme, flamme, 4– flame. See also FLAMB. [ME. flambe, flamme, a. OF. flambe-r, flam(m)er, f. flambe, flamme, FLAME sb.]
1. intr. To burn with a flame or with flames; to emit flames; to blaze. Also with away, forth, out, up.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 205. A fyre flaumende forth oute of boþe.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1975.
| Bot owre wyese kyng … | |
| Gerte felschene his fyrez, flawmande fulle heghe. |
1481. Caxton, Myrr., II. iii. 67. Fyre brennyng … goth flammyng vnto the clowdes.
1548. Hall, Chron., 195 b. Other causes … made ye fyre to flame.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., I. iii. 16.
| Cask. A common slave, you know him well by sight, | |
| Held up his left Hand, which did flame and burne | |
| Like twentie Torches joyn’d; and yet his Hand, | |
| Not sensible of fire, remain’d unscorch’d. |
1632. Lithgow, Trav., x. 479. For as fire lying hid vnder ashes, and touch’d will flame; so I seeming to my selfe carelesse of Christianity, then God pricking my Conscience made tryall of my Faith.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 165. The Admiral of Portugal began to flame being fired with two Holland fire ships.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 61.
| A Dungeon horrible, on all sides round | |
| As one great Furnace flam’d, yet from those flames | |
| No light, but rather darkness visible | |
| Serv’d only to discover sight of woe. |
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 242. A volcano, or burning vent among the hills, being pretty near the Spanish side of the country, as there are many of them in the Andes, had flamed out that night, and gave such a terrible light in the air, as made us think the fire had at least been in the out-houses, or in part of the house, and accordingly had put me in such a fright.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1862), I. viii. 39. Gunpowder will readily fire with a spark, but not with the flame of a candle: on the other hand, spirits of wine will flame with a candle, but not with a spark; but even here the cause of this difference, as yet, remains a secret.
c. 1839. Landor, Imag. Conv., Southey & Porson, II. There is a paleness in intense fires; they do not flame out nor sparkle.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxxix. (1856), 356. Lard lamps flaming away vigorously upon my paper.
b. fig.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XVII. 225. Þanne flaumbeth he [þe holygoste] as fyre · on fader & on filius.
1614. Bp. Hall, Recoll. Treat., 976. Cruelty hath but smoaked before, now it flames vp; secret practising hath made it shamelesse, that now it dare proclaime tyranny.
1752. Young, Brothers, I. i.
| Thus meaning to tread out those sparks of war | |
| Which might one day flame up to strong revenge. |
1770. Langhorne, Plutarch, Marcus Crassus (1879), II. 591/1. He thought he could easily rekindle the Servile war, which had but lately been smothered, and which wanted but little fuel to make it flame out again.
1793. Object. to War Examined & Refuted, 27. ‘The Republic, one and indivisible,’ flames out in many parts with Civil War.
1890. Matt Crim, The Crucial Test, in Century Mag., XXXIX. Jan., 362. She had been sent up to them to have an American finish put to her education and manners; but alien blood flamed in her veins, and she had been worshiped and spoiled in her own home until she had become as imperious and exacting as princesses are supposed to be.
† c. transf. To emit a smell (also, of a smell, to issue) with violence like that of flame.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XII. 254.
| And whan his caroigne shal come · in caue to be buryed, | |
| I leue it flaumbe ful foule · þe folde al aboute. |
14[?]. MS. Laud, 656 fol. 4 b. A flauour flambeþ þerfro, þey felleden hit alle.
2. fig. a. Of the passions, etc.: To burn like flames. To flame out: to burst out violently.
a. 1591. R. Greenham, Wks. (1599), 22. Though he keep thy sinne from flaming out.
a. 1625. Beaum. & Fl., Lover’s Progress, I. i. (Rtldg.), 637/2.
| A noble husband, with allow’d embraces | |
| To quench lascivious fires, should such flame in you. |
1707. Norris, Treat. Humility, vi. 240. Unless it be here and there where their Malice flames out.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 244. The rage of James flamed high.
b. Of persons: To burn (with envy, fury, indignation, etc.); to look angrily or passionately upon. To flame out, up: to break out into open anger or indignation; to ‘fire up.’
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Matt. xxii. 106. Iesus purposyng to shewe that they which crake of the profession of the lawe, be furthest from keping of the greatest commaundement in the lawe, which wholy flame with enuy and hatred of theyr neyghboure, and with other vices whiche haue none affinitie with Christian charitie.
1681. Crowne, Hen. VI., IV. 49. I flame with fury to be at it.
a. 1701. Sedley, Happy Pair (1766), 16.
| With heat of love he flam’d upon his mate, | |
| And on the green swarth without dowry fate. |
1754. Richardson, Grandison, V. xiv. 112. What will become of Lady Olivia, if the alliance between my brother and the Bologna family take effect?—She has her emissaries, who I suppose will soon apprise her of it. How will she flame out!
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 195. When the Commons began to inquire in what manner the money voted for the war had been wasted, and to examine into the maladministration of the navy, he flamed with indignation.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. (1865), I. III. vi. 180. There was an Osianderism (Osiander being the Duke’s chaplain), much flamed upon by the more orthodox ism. Ibid. (1858), II. V. viii. 132. Queen Sophie, the politest of women, did once, says Pöllnitz, on some excessive pressure of that lisping snuffling unendurability, lose her royal patience and flame out.
3. transf. To glow like flame or as with flames; to shine brightly, gleam ruddily. Also with away, forth, up, etc.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 768. Why maskelleȝ bryd þat bryȝt con flambe.
1530. Palsgr., 551/1. I have sene the yerthe flame a nyght season lyke any fyre.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 320. The face of Phebus flamand fair.
1621. Beaum. & Fl., Thierry & Theodoret, III. ii. (Rtldg.), 417/2. There’s anger yet Flames in your eyes.
1698. Crowne, Caligula, I. Dram. Wks. 1874, IV. 360.
| I led gallant men, and Cæsar | |
| A flying camp of ranting concubines, | |
| Who flam’d, and gave a lustre to the day; | |
| No meteors were so bright or hot as they. |
c. 1710. C. Fiennes, Diary (1888), 257. Diamonds wch flamed at ye Least motion.
1740. Dyer, The Ruins of Rome, 20.
| The rising sun | |
| Flames on the ruins in the purer air. |
1777. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, Oct. This James II.’s room was more superb than his predecessors’—flaming with velvet, tissue, tapestry, and what not.
1807. W. Irving, Salmag. (1824), 133. Fling, however, its usurping rival, a red shawl, over the figure of a fashionable belle, and let her flame away with it in Broadway, or in a ball-room, and it is immediately declared to be the style.
1826. Syd. Smith, Wks. (1859), II. 74–5. The mud is flaming with the scarlet curlew.
1882. Edna Lyall, Donovan, xv. She … felt the colour flame up in her cheeks.
1883. Stevenson, Silverado Sq., 15. In 1879, the dentist of Mendocino City, fifty miles away upon the coast, suddenly threw off the garments of his trade, like Grindoff in ‘The Miller and his Men,’ and flamed forth in his second dress as a captain of banditti.
4. a. intr. To move as or like flame.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., XI. iv.
| Or as those holy Fishers once amongs | |
| Thou flamedst bright with sparkling parted tongues. |
1732. Pope, Ess. Man, II. 65.
| Or meteor-like, flame lawless thro’ the void, | |
| Destroying others, by himself destroy’d. |
1892. Tennyson, Death of Œnone, 38 (Akbar’s Dream).
| Once again thou flamest heavenward, once again we see thee rise. | |
| Every morning is thy birthday gladdening human hearts and eyes. |
b. trans. To send forth or convey by flaming.
14[?]. Lydg., Balade of our Ladie, ix. Flambe down þe doleful light of thyn influence.
1610. Shaks., Temp., I. ii. 200.
| Now in the Waste, the Decke, in euery Cabyn, | |
| I flam’d amazement, sometime I’ld diuide, | |
| And burne in many places. |
1892. T. A. Cook, Old Touraine, I. 91. An old system of signalling by beacon fires, of which Langeais would be the last station to the west, and which flamed messages along the valley.
† 5. To burn, set on fire, consume with flames.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, III. (Arb.), 79.
| Theare we being landed saulfly through fortun vnhoaped, | |
| Too Ioue wee sacrifice, sundry hostes are flamed on altars. |
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. ix. 18.
| Malbecco seeing them resolu’d in deed | |
| To flame the gates. |
1612. N. Field, Woman’s a Weather-cock, I. i.
| Sooner the Masculine Element of Fire | |
| Shall flame his Pyramids downe to the Earth. |
1737. Whiston, Josephus’ Antiq., Diss. III. xiii. Some were nailed to crosses, and others flamed to death: they were also used in the night-time instead of torches, for illumination.
† 6. To cause to glow with enthusiasm, zeal, etc.; to kindle, inflame, excite, animate. Obs.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 36. Þe swete odour þerof schulde flawme mennys hertis.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. i. 14.
| And flam’d with zeale of vengeance inwardly, | |
| He askt, who had that Dame so fouly dight; | |
| Or whether his own hand, or whether other wight? |
1627–77. Feltham, Resolves, I. xiv. 22.
| That Sacred vigor, which had wont, alone, | |
| To flame the Poets noble brest, is gone. |
1640. Shirley, Coronation, II. D j b.
| And since their courage is so nobly flamed, | |
| This morning we’ll behold the champions | |
| Within the list. |
7. To subject to the action of flame. Cf. Sc. FLAMB.
1875. Ure’s Dict. Arts, III. 88. After flaming, the pieces are successively laid on an inclined table exposed to the fire.
1885. Dolley, Bacteria Investigation, I. 69. The pipette is first thoroughly sterilized by flaming every portion of it, from the tip of the capillary tube to near the rubber ball, until the contained air is subjected to a temperature of at least 150° C.
