To fly Hie kite
Preserved but no longer current.
To "raise the wind** by questionable methods, such as by sending begging letters to persons of charitable reputation or by means of worthless bills.
Làm cho người khác mất tiền bằng cách gửi thư xin tiền hoặc viết hóa đơn vô giá trị
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “To fly Hie kite” mean?
To "raise the wind** by questionable methods, such as by sending begging letters to persons of charitable reputation or by means of worthless bills.
Is “To fly Hie kite” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.