flinch
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verb no object
make a quick, nervous movement of the face or body as an instinctive reaction to surprise, fear or pain:
«…に/…から» たじろぐ, ひるむ; 身をすくめる(away) «at/from» .
e.g. she flinched at the acidity in his voice
e.g. he had faced death without flinching.
(flinch from) avoid doing or becoming involved in (something) through fear or anxiety:
〖通例否定文で〗【いやなことから】逃げる, 尻込みする(away) «from» .
e.g. I rarely flinch from a fight when I'm sure of myself.
noun in singular
an act of flinching:
〖単数形で〗たじろぎ; 尻込み.
e.g. “Don't call me that,” he said with a flinch.
DERIVATIVES
flincher | ˈflin(t)SHər | noun
flinchingly adverb
ORIGIN
mid 16th century (in the sense ‘slink or sneak off’): from Old French flenchir ‘turn aside’, of West Germanic origin and related to German lenken ‘to guide, steer’.