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Plea vs Flea - What's the difference?

plea | flea |

As nouns the difference between plea and flea

is that plea is an appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty while flea is a small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera, renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.

As a verb flea is

obsolete spelling of lang=en.

plea

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
    • a plea for mercy
  • An excuse; an apology.
    • 1667', ''Necessity, the tyrant’s '''plea .'' --, ''Paradise Lost IV.393
    (rfdate) No plea must serve; ‘t is cruelty to spare. -- .
  • That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.
  • (legal) That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause.
  • (legal) An allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer.
  • (legal) The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration and demand.
  • (legal) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See under Common.
    • (rfdate) The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed. --Laws of Massachusetts.

    Usage notes

    In 19th century U.K. law, that which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant’s plea. In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant’s formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him/her.

    Related terms

    * pleas of the crown * plead * pleasant * please * pleasurable * pleasure

    External links

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    Anagrams

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    flea

    English

    (wikipedia flea)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) fle, from (etyl) (compare Latin (m)).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Siphonaptera , renowned for its bloodsucking habits and jumping abilities.
  • A thing of no significance.
    • Derived terms
    * flea market * sand flea * sand fly * sandfly

    Etymology 2

    Alternative forms.

    Verb

    (head)
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 74:
    • In this Thwackum had the advantage; for while Square could only scarify the poor lad's reputation, he could flea his skin [...].

    Anagrams

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