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RSSFly, Flew, (has) Flown—-Flied?
Reader Michelle asks if the past tense of the verb to fly can ever be flied.
Your column on wake etc. reminded me of a verb form that I haven’t been able to figure out – fly, flew and flied. I know that the past simple of fly is flew. But is it always? I investigated a bit, and found that flied can be used but I haven’t figured out exactly when.
In contexts other than baseball (and baby talk), the principal parts of the verb to fly are
fly flew (have) flown
The bird flew the coop.
The hunter flew the hawk at a pigeon.
Charlie has flown his kite into the kite-eating tree again.
The honeymooners flew to Paris in the springtime.
We have flown with American five times.
In baseball, however, flied becomes valid usage.
A fly or a fly ball is a baseball hit into the air.
When the fly ball is caught by a member of the opposing team, and it is in bounds, the batter is out and the play is recorded as a “fly out.” The batter can then be said to have flied out.
In any context other than baseball, to use “flied” as the past form of to fly would sound strange, to say the least.
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A Flea & a Fly once fell in a flue
Said the Fliy, “Let us flee”
Said the Flea, “Let us fly’
So together they fled thru a flaw in the flue.
It drives me nuts every time Dan Gladden (a radio announcer for the Minnesota Twins baseball team) says “He flew out in the second inning.” I have this vision in my head of a batter rising off the ground and sailing toward the shortstop. Ask my kids–I yell at the radio every time.
So that’s a verbification of a noun (”fly (ball)”), not a wrong formation of the verb “(to) fly”, right? I’ve seen other cases like that…but I can’t think of any now. Might make an interesting article in the future if you could find more.
The thing I love about the English language, is that if you make up a word or even use an old word in a peculiar way, if it catches on the usage becomes part of the language. What was proper English 100 years ago is definitely not proper English today.