on the fly


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

fly 1

 (flī)
v. flew (flo͞o), flown (flōn), fly·ing, flies (flīz)
v.intr.
1. To engage in flight, especially:
a. To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.
b. To travel by air: We flew to Dallas.
c. To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
2.
a. To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind: a kite flying above the playground.
b. To float or flap in the air: pennants flying from the masthead.
3. To move or be sent through the air with great speed: bullets flying in every direction; a plate that flew from my hands when I stumbled.
4.
a. To move with great speed; rush or dart: The children flew down the hall.
b. To be communicated to many people: Rumors are flying about their breakup.
c. To flee; escape.
d. To hasten; spring: flew to her students' defense.
5. To pass by swiftly: a vacation flying by.
6. To be dissipated; vanish: All his money has flown.
7. past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.
8.
a. To shatter or explode: The dropped plate flew into pieces.
b. To become suddenly emotional, especially angry: The driver flew into a rage.
9. Informal To gain acceptance or approval; go over: "However sophisticated the reasoning, this particular notion may not fly" (New York Times).
v.tr.
1.
a. To cause to fly or float in the air: fly a kite; fly a flag.
b. Nautical To operate under (a particular flag): a tanker that flies the Liberian flag.
2.
a. To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).
b. To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft: fly emergency supplies to a stricken area.
c. To pass over or through in flight: flew the coastal route in record time.
d. To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft: flew six missions into space.
3.
a. To flee or run from: fly a place in panic.
b. To avoid; shun: fly temptation.
n. pl. flies
1. The act of flying; flight.
2.
a. The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.
b. The flap of cloth that covers this opening.
3. A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.
4. A flyleaf.
5. Baseball A fly ball.
6. Sports In swimming, butterfly.
7.
a. The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.
b. The outer edge of a flag.
8. A flywheel.
9. flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.
10. Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.
Phrasal Verb:
fly at
To attack fiercely; assault: The dogs flew at each other's throats.
Idioms:
fly high
To be elated: They were flying high after their first child was born.
fly off the handle Informal
To become suddenly enraged: flew off the handle when the train was finally canceled.
let fly
1. To shoot, hurl, or release: The troops let fly a volley of gunfire.
2. To lash out; assault: The mayor let fly with an angry attack on her critics.
on the fly
1. In a hurry or between pressing activities: took lunch on the fly.
2. While moving: The outfielder caught the ball on the fly.
3. In the air; in flight: The ball carried 500 feet on the fly.
4. While activity is ongoing: A coach can change players on the fly in hockey. This computer program compiles on the fly when a script is executed.
[Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan; see pleu- in Indo-European roots.]
fly′a·ble adj.

fly 2

 (flī)
n. pl. flies
1.
a. Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.
b. Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.
2. A fishing lure simulating something a fish eats, such as a mayfly or a minnow, made by attaching materials such as feathers, tinsel, and colored thread to a fishhook.
Idiom:
fly in the ointment
A detrimental circumstance or detail; a drawback.
[Middle English flie, from Old English flēoge; see pleu- in Indo-European roots.]

fly 3

 (flī)
adj.
1. Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.
2. Slang Fashionable; stylish.
[Probably from fly.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.on the fly - on the run or in a hurry; "she wrote those letters on the fly"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
à la volée
Dictionary browser ?
Full browser ?