blench
verb
[ blɛn(t)ʃ ]
• make a sudden flinching movement out of fear or pain.
• "he blenched and struggled to regain his composure"
Similar:
flinch,
start,
shy (away),
recoil,
shrink,
pull back,
back away,
draw back,
cringe,
wince,
quiver,
shudder,
shiver,
tremble,
quake,
shake,
quail,
cower,
waver,
falter,
hesitate,
get cold feet,
blanch,
• become pale.
• "a shudder shook the boy's frame and his face blenched"
Origin:
Old English blencan ‘deceive’, of Germanic origin; later influenced by blink. blench (sense 2) is a variant of blanch, although in practice the two senses are very difficult to disambiguate.
