Idioms for fly

Origin of fly

1
before 900; Middle English flīen, Old English flēogan; cognate with Old High German fliogan, German fliegen, Old Norse fljuga

SYNONYMS FOR fly

1 Fly, flit, flutter, hover, soar refer to moving through the air as on wings. Fly is the general term: Birds fly. Airplanes fly. To flit is to make short rapid flights from place to place: A bird flits from tree to tree. To flutter is to agitate the wings tremulously, either without flying or in flying only short distances: A young bird flutters out of a nest and in again. To hover is to linger in the air, or to move over or about something within a narrow area or space: hovering clouds; a hummingbird hovering over a blossom. To soar is to (start to) fly upward to a great height usually with little advance in any other direction, or else to (continue to) fly at a lofty height without visible movement of the wings: Above our heads an eagle was soaring.

OTHER WORDS FROM fly

British Dictionary definitions for on the fly (1 of 3)

fly 1
/ (flaɪ) /

verb flies, flying, flew or flown

noun plural flies

Derived forms of fly

flyable, adjective

Word Origin for fly

Old English flēogan; related to Old Frisian fliāga, Old High German fliogan, Old Norse fljūga

British Dictionary definitions for on the fly (2 of 3)

fly 2
/ (flaɪ) /

noun plural flies

Derived forms of fly

flyless, adjective

Word Origin for fly

Old English flēoge; related to Old Norse fluga Old High German flioga; see fly 1

British Dictionary definitions for on the fly (3 of 3)

fly 3
/ (flaɪ) /

adjective flyer or flyest slang

mainly British knowing and sharp; smart
mainly Scot furtive or sneaky

noun

on the fly mainly Scot in secret; sneakily

Word Origin for fly

C19: of uncertain origin

Medical definitions for on the fly

fly
[ flī ]

n.

Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera.

Scientific definitions for on the fly

fly
[ flī ]

Any of numerous insects of the order Diptera, having one pair of wings and large compound eyes. Flies include the houseflies, horseflies, and mosquitoes. See more at dipteran.

Idioms and Phrases with on the fly

on the fly

In a hurry, on the run, as in I picked up some groceries on the fly. The transfer of this expression, which literally means “in midair or in flight,” dates from the mid-1800s.