flirt [M16th] Like words such as biff [M19th], bounce [E16th], flick [see fillip], and spurt [M16th], and many others often sharing the same sounds, flirt apparently arose because it somehow ‘sounded right’ to convey the idea it represented. In the case of flirt the elements fl- and -irt probably suggest sudden movement—the original verb senses were ‘to give someone a sharp blow’, ‘to move or propel suddenly’, and ‘to sneer at’. As a noun it first meant ‘joke, gibe’, and ‘flighty girl’, with a notion originally of cheekiness rather than of playfully amorous behaviour.