Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Flitting
Flitt′ing, Flytt′ing, n. Contention; strife; scolding; specif., a kind of metrical contest between two persons, popular in Scotland in the 16th century. [Obs. or Scot.]
These "flytings" consisted of alternate torrents of sheer Billingsgate poured upon each other by the combatants. Saintsbury.