fly by the seat of one's pants
Verb
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Verb
- (idiomatic) To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment.
- 1955 Feb. 21, "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892991,00.htmlSport: Planes for Pleasure]," Time:
- Between world wars, when Douglas Bader was a cocky, teen-age R.A.F. cadet . . . a man could navigate by eye and the nearest railroad track and fly by the seat of his pants.
- 1955 Feb. 21, "[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892991,00.htmlSport: Planes for Pleasure]," Time:
- (idiomatic, by extension) To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan.
- 2010 Jan. 14, Jacob Heilbrunn, "Election Confidential ↗," New York Times (retrieved 25 June 2011):
- “Unlike Obama and his methodical process, McCain was flying by the seat of his pants,” the authors observe.
- 2010 Jan. 14, Jacob Heilbrunn, "Election Confidential ↗," New York Times (retrieved 25 June 2011):
- (improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan) play by ear, wing it, make it up as one goes along
- French: naviguer à vue, décider / agir / ... au doigt mouillé
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003