fly
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say to each other at a private meeting, and that you wish
you could see and hear what happens: I'd like to be a fly on
the wall when Linda tells Barker she wants a pay rise.
fly⁴ n 1 a band of strong cloth (CANVAS) over the entrance to a
tent, forming a kind of door 2 also flies pl. BrE the front
opening of a pair of trousers, with a band of cloth on one
side to cover the fastenings: Your fly is undone. | He did up
his fly buttons.
fly⁵ adj old-fash infml, especially BrE sharp and clever; not easily
tricked
fly-a-way /'flaɪəwe/ adj [A] (especially of hair) soft and loose
and easily falling out of place
'fly ball also fly n (in BASEBALL) a ball which has been hit into
the air: It's a long fly ball to left field.
fly-blown /'flaɪblaʊn/ adj 1 (of meat) containing flies' eggs
and so unfit to eat 2 especially BrE || flyspecked especially AmE
covered with the small spots that are the waste matter of
flies: a dirty flyblown window 3 derog a) not pure or bright
and new; in a bad condition: a few flyblown old chairs b)
worthless because used many times before: He always brings
out the same flyblown old stories when he makes an after-
dinner speech.
fly-boy /'flaɪbɔɪ/ n AmE infml someone who flies a plane,
especially in the US ARMED FORCES → compare PILOT
fly-by /'flaɪbaɪ/ n pl. -bys AmE 1 for FLYPAST 2 a flight of a
SPACECRAFT close to the moon or a star, especially to collect
information 3 a spacecraft that makes a flyby
'fly-by-,night adj [A] derog not firmly established in business,
but interested only in making quick profits, especially by
slightly dishonest methods
fly-catch-er /'flaɪˌkætʃər/ n a small bird that catches flies in
the air
'fly ,drive adj (of a holiday) by plane and then with a car
available for one's use: We're taking a fly drive holiday to
Italy this year.
fly-er /'flaɪər/ n a FLIER
'fly-,fishing n [U] the practice of fishing in a river or lake with
a FLY
,fly 'half also standoff half n (in RUGBY) a fast-running
player whose job is to pass the ball out to the line of players
who will try to gain points with it
fly-ing¹ /'flaɪ-ɪŋ/ adj [A] 1 (of a jump) made after running:
The stream was several feet wide, but she took a flying leap
and got safely across. 2 lasting a very short time: It's just a
flying visit; we can't stay long.
flying² n [U] travelling by aircraft, as a means of getting from
one place to another or as a sport: I don't like flying; it makes
me feel sick. | a flying club
'flying boat n an aircraft with an underside shaped like the
bottom of a boat, able to land on water
,flying 'buttress n a half arch joined at the top to the
outside wall of a large building (such as a church, a castle
etc), used for supporting the weight of the wall
,flying 'colours n with flying colours very successfully;
splendidly: He passed his exams with flying colours.
,flying 'doctor n (often cap.) (especially in Australia) a doctor
who goes by aircraft to visit the sick in distant lonely places,
in answer to radio messages
,Flying 'Dutchman, The 1 in old stories, a GHOST ship
which appears in stormy weather and is a sign that some-
thing very bad is going to happen 2 the CAPTAIN of this
ship 3 an OPERA by Richard WAGNER based on these stories
,flying 'fish n a tropical sea fish that can jump out of the
water and move forward supported by long wing-like parts
(FINS)
,flying 'fox n a FRUIT BAT
'flying ,officer n a rank in the British airforce → see TABLE 3
,flying 'picket n in Britain, someone who PICKETS a place of
work other than their own, especially as part of a group that
travels from place to place. The Conservative government of
Margaret Thatcher (1979–91) introduced laws in Britain,
limiting the powers of TRADE UNIONS which included mak-
ing the use of flying pickets ILLEGAL.
,flying 'saucer n a usually plate-shaped spaceship which is
said to be piloted by creatures from another world. Not many
people believe in flying saucers, but they often appear in
children's stories and in SCIENCE FICTION. → see also UFO
,Flying 'Scotsman, The a fast train that runs between
London and Edinburgh
'flying squad n [C+sing./pl. v] (often cap.) in Britain, a group of
special police who are always ready for quick action when a
serious crime takes place
,flying 'start n [S] 1 a) a start to a race in which the
competitors are already moving when they cross the starting
line or receive the starting signal b) also flier infml a start to a
race in which one competitor begins to move before the
others and so gains an unfair advantage over them 2 a very
good beginning: He's got off to a flying start in his new job.
fly-leaf /'flaɪli:f/ n pl. -leaves /li:vz/ a page on which there is
usually no printing, at the beginning or end of a book,
fastened to the cover
Fly-mo /'flaɪməʊ/ trademark a type of LAWNMOWER with a
ROTARY blade which is held a little way above the ground by
a current of air forced from beneath it
Flynn, Er·rol /flɪn, 'erəl/ (1909–59) a US film actor who is
thought of as a typical example of a SWASHBUCKLING char-
acter (=someone who is brave and strong, enjoys adventures,
and sword-fighting etc). He was known for being sexually
attractive, for having very many lovers, and for drinking a lot
of alcohol. His films include Captain Blood (1935) and The
Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
Flynt, Lar·ry /flɪnt, 'læri/ (1942–) a US magazine PUBLISHER
of PORNOGRAPHIC magazines, Flynt has been in court many
times on charges of producing OBSCENE material, but he has
successfully used the First Amendment of the American
Constitution to protect his freedom
fly-o-ver /'flaɪ-əʊvər/ n 1 BrE || overpass AmE a place where
two roads or railways cross each other at different lev-
els 2 AmE a flypast
fly-pa-per /'flaɪpeɪpər/ n [U] a length of paper covered with
a sticky or poisonous substance to trap flies in a room
fly-past /'flaɪpɑ:st||-pæst/ BrE || flyby, flyover AmE — n the
actions of a group of aircraft flying in a special formation on
a ceremonial occasion, especially at a low level in front of a
crowd
fly-sheet /'flaɪʃi:t/ also fly n an additional sheet that is put
over a tent for protection from rain or sun
fly-specked /'flaɪspekt/ adj especially AmE for FLYBLOWN
fly-swat-ter /'flaɪˌswɒtər||-ˌswɑ:-/ n an instrument for kill-
ing flies, usually made of a flat square piece of plastic or wire
net fixed to a handle
fly-weight /'flaɪweɪt/ n a BOXER of the lightest class, weigh-
ing 112 POUNDS (51 kilos) or less → see also BANTAMWEIGHT
fly-wheel /'flaɪwi:l/ n a wheel which, because of its heavy
weight, keeps a machine working at an even speed
fly-whisk /'flaɪˌwɪsk/ n BrE a bunch of long horse hairs
fastened to a handle, used for keeping flies away from the
face
FM /ˌef 'em/ n [U] abbrev. for frequency modulation; a system
used for broadcasting radio programmes which produces a
very clear sound. In the US, FM radio stations are considered
to have better programmes than AM stations and fewer
advertisements.
Fo, Dar·io /fəʊ, 'dæriəʊ/ (1926–) an Italian writer, best
known for his plays, such as Accidental Death of an Anarchist
(1970) and Can't Pay, Won't Pay (1974), which are humor-
ous, but deal with serious social and political events. He
won the NOBEL PRIZE for Literature in 1997.
foal¹ /fəʊl/ n a young animal of the horse family
foal² v [I] to give birth to a foal
foam¹ /fəʊm/ n [U] 1 a whitish mass of very small bubbles
on the surface of a liquid, on skin etc: foam-flecked waves |
Many fire extinguishers are filled with chemical foam. 2 infml
foam rubber: a foam mattress —foamy adj
foam² v [I] to produce foam: The dying animal was found
foaming at the mouth. | (fig.) He could hardly speak; he was
foaming with anger. (=was very angry)
,foam 'rubber n [U] soft rubber full of air bubbles, used for
making chair seats, the soft part of beds etc