Fly Definition
(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance.
- To be elated:
They were flying high after their first child was born.
- To become suddenly enraged:
flew off the handle when the train was finally canceled.
- To shoot, hurl, or release:
The troops let fly a volley of gunfire.
- To lash out; assault:
The mayor let fly with an angry attack on her critics.
- In a hurry or between pressing activities:
took lunch on the fly.
- While moving:
The outfielder caught the ball on the fly.
- A detrimental circumstance or detail; a drawback.
Other Word Forms of Fly
Noun
Adjective
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Fly
- fly high
- fly off the handle
- let fly
- on the fly
- fly in the ointment
- fly at
- fly into
- fly off
- fly out
- let fly (at)
- on the fly
- fly in the ointment
Origin of Fly
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From Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan, from Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (compare Saterland Frisian fljooge, Dutch vliegen, Low German flegen, German fliegen, Danish flyve), from Proto-Indo-European *pleuk-, *pleu-k- (cf. Lithuanian plaũkti ‘to swim’), enlargement of *pleu- ‘flow’. More at flow.
From Wiktionary
-
From Old English flȳġe, flēoge. Cognate with Scots flee, Dutch vlieg, German Fliege, Swedish fluga.
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English flien from Old English flēogan pleu- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
-
Middle English flie from Old English flēoge pleu- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Origin uncertain; probably from the verb or noun.
From Wiktionary
Probably from fly
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Fly Is Also Mentioned In
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