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词汇 fly
释义

fly1

verbflies, flown, flying, flew flʌɪflaɪ
[no object]

  • 1(of a bird, bat, or insect) move through the air using wings.

    （鸟等有翼的生物）飞，飞行

    close the door or the moths will fly in

    关上门，否则蛾子会飞进来。

    the bird can fly enormous distances

    鸟能飞很远。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • The sun was shining too, and birds and butterflies were flying about.
    • A gaggle of quibblers complain that chickens do fly, albeit short distances.
    • What was also surprising was the number of insects still flying and giving the birds a good meal.
    • I was woken up this morning at half past five by quite the most enormous bumble bee flying around the bedroom.
    • A moth flies by, wings beating slowly as though it were a bird; then a woman, barefoot in a long gown, appears to swim upward in defiance of gravity.
    • Dozens of the dainty white gulls danced over the water, and I saw a Bald Eagle flying in the distance.
    • While a person may hop on one foot, it is difficult to envision a bird flying with only one wing.
    • She walked past neat gardens and tidy houses, watching small birds bath in bird baths, insects fly around flowers and people inside their air conditioned houses.
    • The raptor folds its wings, brings its talons forward, and careens toward the outstretched wings of an unsuspecting bird flying below.
    • In rainy periods, when few insects are flying, the birds switch to ground feeding.
    • Lynx got up and went to the window, and barely saw a black bird flying off into the distance.
    • Early this year, flowers bloomed ahead of time in spring and migrant birds flew back to the north earlier than usual.
    • She was sure he hit one bird because there was a flurry of feathers and a bird flew away.
    • His eyes wandered slightly towards the windows, seeing several birds fly off into the distance.
    • North of Fairwater, a few geese fly in the distance.
    • He believes a bird flying over the garden could have dropped a sunflower seed which has now transformed into the large plant.
    • He said the company does have occasional problems with birds flying into power cables but this area was not considered at high risk and no other similar incidents have been reported over the past year.
    • It interests me for a few seconds until I realise that it is not music but the sound of a billion insects flying down from the mountain.
    • If the butterfly can fly free with its wings of iridescent color, gardeners should be allowed to do the same.
    • The birds flew from their nests in the trees and insects stopped their chirping.
    Synonyms
    travel through the air, wing its way, wing, glide, soar, wheel
    flutter, flit
    hover, hang
    take wing, take to the air, mount
    1. 1.1 (of an aircraft or its occupants) travel through the air.
      （飞机）飞行；（机上人员）乘飞机旅行
      I fly back to London this evening

      我今晚飞回伦敦。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • They said they saw an aircraft flying at a high altitude just before the blast.
      • Unbeknown to the pilot, the altimeter had been damaged and the aircraft was flying very low.
      • Two helicopters carrying cameras will fly overhead looking down over the stadium and Cardiff city
      • And apart from the noise of helicopters flying overhead, there was no indication, even from a couple of streets away, that there was any trouble.
      • Massive concrete walls and a thick concrete roof would ensure that recording sessions would be unaffected even by the noise of a helicopter flying overhead.
      • Several eyewitnesses reported observing the airplane flying over the city prior to the accident.
      • Then the F - 16 fighter planes flew overhead, which is always impressive.
      • Unfortunately, the fifth aircraft flew into a sand storm and crashed, killing the pilot and mechanic.
      • Air Force jets and police helicopters continued to fly overhead at regular intervals, yet at street level all was unusually quiet.
      • The airplane flew reasonably well despite the temporarily deformed airfoil.
      • Planes burn less fuel at higher altitudes, so pilots often fly at higher altitudes on long flights.
      • As the aircraft flew over his house, the engine started to cut out and was sputtering.
      • If anyone stuck in their car looked up, they could see airplanes flying low as they took off from the airport.
      • One aircraft flying from Heathrow to Geneva had to divert into Lyon because bad weather meant it could not land.
      • When an airplane is flying, it has a good deal of forward speed and airflow over all of its surfaces.
      • Then after that we saw 7 airplanes flying around in the sky.
      • In addition, the newer aircraft can fly higher and have a greater range than the older planes.
      • After nearly nine months of work, he said that it was very pleasing to see the aircraft flying once again.
      • The aircraft flew to New York and back twice between July 21 and the final takeoff on July 25.
      • The aircraft flies at altitudes high enough that there is no acoustic footprint.
      Synonyms
      travel/go by air, travel/go by plane, jet
      Indian air-dash
    2. 1.2with object Control the flight of (an aircraft)
      驾驶（飞机）
      he flew Hurricanes in the war
      Example sentencesExamples
      • They fly heavy tankers that deliver gas to other aircraft in midair.
      • The autopilot helps fly the airplane while the pilots run the appropriate checklists.
      • The location of the engines, high on the fuselage, allows the pilot to fly the aircraft fairly easily with one engine inoperable.
      • The autopilot can fly an airplane once in the air, and land it, but it cannot be used during takeoff.
      • When flying a helicopter the controls need to be manually held at all times.
      • The nearest aircraft was regularly flown by Flight Lieutenant Bill Newton.
      • The aircraft is flown by two pilots rather than four aircrew.
      • Only our most experienced pilots were allowed to fly this new airplane at the time.
      • Mr Hitchins, who had more experience flying gliders than aircraft, had not flown to Wadswick before so invited Mr Moore to come with him.
      • The aircraft is flown by five crew members: the pilot and co-pilot, flight engineer and two loadmasters.
      • This reduced the amount of control forces and the frequency of control movements required to fly the aircraft.
      • I flew the airplane correctly, managed the emergency properly and extended the glide almost to its limits.
      • We know that you served as an Air Force Academy liaison officer when you weren't flying airliners.
      • If a pilot didn't fly his own airplane for six months or more, he often was the only one who knew.
      • In 1900, German Count von Zeppelin flew his first airship.
      • The foundation of a successful aviation career is a burning desire to fly airplanes.
      • Then again, you'll have to admit, the men who fly our modern airliners are experts - they have to be!
      • The aircraft is flown by two flight crew with between six and ten mission crew.
      • I will be wearing standard US issue flight gear, and I will be flying a navy aircraft clearly marked as a US warplane.
      • However, it was not unusual for a pilot with an assigned aircraft to fly whatever aircraft was serviceable on any given day.
      Synonyms
      pilot, operate, control, manoeuvre, steer, guide, direct, navigate
    3. 1.3with object and adverbial of direction Transport in an aircraft.
      空运
      helicopters flew the injured to hospital

      直升机把伤员送往医院。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Shortly after their birth, the children were flown by helicopter to the world renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for observation and treatment.
      • The injured boy was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he was treated for multiple bites to the arms and legs.
      • He was flown by police helicopter to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the post from his chest.
      • They were flown to the capital along with other wounded personnel.
      • But he asked, apparently, for a helicopter to fly him in every day from wherever he was, and they bounced him.
      • Then in January, Ramsey was flown to Toronto, along with other finalists, for a final round of interviews at the Bank of Montreal's Institute for Learning.
      • She commissioned the state helicopter to fly her home when she learned that her baby had a medical emergency.
      • After his aborted sentencing hearing, he was escorted from the courtroom by his guards and boarded the helicopter to be flown back to his cell.
      • Cliff Richard celebrates his 60th birthday in style - he's flying guests in by helicopter to his cruise liner somewhere in the Mediterranean.
      • New Zealand has offered to fund a helicopter to fly a team of four doctors into Nias to treat the earthquake injured, and Prime Minister Helen Clark promised more aid will follow.
      • Jim applied for the job, took a test, and was one of four finalists who were flown out for an interview with Bill.
      • A total of 28 orphaned Great Bustard chicks were flown to the UK from Russia in the autumn, and released into the wild on Salisbury Plain.
      • But Naval engineers, based in the Islands, repaired the cross, which was flown back by Chinook helicopter.
      • The exiled militants were flown by British military transport to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were they were put up at a seaside hotel under police guard.
      • Soldiers were then flown by Black Hawk or Caribou to Line Creek junction.
      • After a motorcade ride to Dulles, the turkeys were flown to California to their new home at Disneyland.
      • Two other US soldiers were injured and were flown by helicopter back to a field hospital in the capital where they were in a ‘stable’ condition last night.
      • Requests to have the game postponed by 24 hours were dismissed so officials saw only one option and that was to hire a helicopter to fly him back.
      • They are sending a transport aircraft to fly relief to Grand Bahama.
      • Paramedics had to call out an RAF helicopter to fly a seriously ill baby 200 miles from Rochdale to an intensive care bed in London.
      Synonyms
      transport by air/plane, airlift, lift, jet
    4. 1.4with object Accomplish (a purpose) in an aircraft.
      驾机执行（任务）
      pilots trained to fly combat missions

      受训执行作战任务的飞行员。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He'd flown combat missions in Vietnam and was one of the few aircrew members with combat experience.
      • In 1944, as a civilian, he flew fifty combat missions in the Pacific theater and shot down one Japanese fighter.
      • Other women fly deep combat missions in the Navy and Air Force.
      • Tony, who'd flown seven combat missions at the time, hadn't faced many threats.
      • After flying a few missions, Richard showed such talent that he received his own crew and was then a full pilot.
      • They're cheap to run and cost much less than flying real missions.
      • He said his father was also training Peruvian pilots to fly combat missions.
      • Brave French airmen who flew missions over their homeland from Britain during the Second World War have been remembered at the Yorkshire Air Museum.
      • I am curious why you used a call sign name to identify a Guard pilot flying homeland defense missions.
      • He was a skilled pilot who had flown combat missions with the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I.
      • On 17 June, he was flying his third mission of the day and bombing a bridge near Paris.
      • Aid agencies begged for more air transport as a handful of exhausted helicopter crews flew non-stop missions.
      • It was a combination of Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots who flew the mission.
      • You would be hard pressed to find a young captain or major who hadn't flown combat sorties in the area of operations.
      • It was the first time since the Vietnam War that Royal Australian Air Force aircraft have flown close air support missions in support of Australian ground troops in a war zone.
      • During wartime service in the Pacific, he flew fifty-eight combat missions.
      • They went along to keep an eye out for Air Force pilots flying the strike mission.
      • One RAAF pilot flew two sorties on D-Day alongside his Allied counterparts.
      • It noted that aircraft from Ark Royal and Eagle had flown by then nearly a thousand surveillance sorties.
      • Close air support sorties were flown during the ground war, but they were employed beyond the sight of the troops they supported.
    5. 1.5with object Release (a bird) to fly, especially a hawk for hunting or a pigeon for racing.
      放飞（尤指猎鹰或竞飞鸽）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Captive-bred birds are easy to come by now, but the time needed to look after and fly a bird is still a rare commodity.
      • He would go up on to the roof each morning at dawn to fly his beloved birds into the clear sky.
      • He was prepared to provide T-bar perches for installation in areas where he regularly flew the birds.
      • He is a great falconer, and has promised to fly his hawks on Friday for my amusement.
      • It was not the most suitable of places to fly an eagle.

  • 2usually with adverbial of direction Move or be hurled quickly through the air.

    在空中快速移动；被快速投掷

    balls kept flying over her hedge

    球不断飞越她的树篱。

    he was sent flying by the tackle

    对方球员的阻截铲球让他腾空而起。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Punches were thrown, chairs sent flying, a woman pushed to the floor and spectators in the packed arena sent running for cover, according to reports from the scene.
    • The farther the ride went, the more speed it picked up and the more things started flying out of the car.
    • Shards of plastic and even wheels had been sent flying across the street into gardens and hedges.
    • Thank goodness it's a passive recreation area, which means that no soccer balls will come flying into the chanting crowds as soccer in the park is prohibited.
    • The slower rotation speed reduces the chance of the turbine flying out of it's housing.
    • He was sent flying across the room and slammed into the wall.
    • The arrow flew straight to the mark and buried itself into the lion's chest.
    • ‘Once they got out on to the streets there was so much debris flying around that you cannot tell what happened to everyone,’ she said.
    • A little piece of a pickle came flying out of my mouth and attached itself to his shirt.
    • Men and bikes were sent flying into the safety fence, but both managed to walk away.
    • Stomping my feet with anger I was about to turn around and go back inside the house when the ball magically came flying over the fence back to my side again.
    • A log on the campfire near us cracked and collapsed, making sparks fly up into the air.
    • "I don't think so, " he said, spittle flying from his mouth.
    • I grunted angrily as we clashed swords, sparks flying off in every direction.
    • Bullets flew in my direction as I dodged behind the stall.
    • Errant sparks fly through the air landing on lower branches and underbrush for rapid ignition.
    • It was a breezy southwesterly gale which caused overflowing dustbins to be sent flying through the masses.
    • The windows on nearby buildings exploded, people were thrown back, and cars were sent flying into nearby buildings.
    • The ball flew into the Cubs' dugout, through the door, and into the adjoining bathroom, bouncing into the toilet bowl.
    • In fact, the impact was so great she felt herself being sent flying through the air.
    1. 2.1 (of accusations or insults) be exchanged swiftly and heatedly.
      （指责，谩骂）往来激烈
      the accusations flew thick and fast

      双方互相责骂，闹个不停。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • And the accusations of sexism keep flying in thick and fast.
      • Yet with so many accusations flying, it seems no amount of medical science is going to settle the matter.
      • As Congress tries to wrap up its work, insults are flying.
      • More understandably, accusations flew about rail chiefs putting profit before passenger safety.
      • The guy laughed, and soon enough a torrent of crude jokes and insults were flying around.
      • Accusations fly, jeopardizing her long, mostly happy marriage to Ned, a struggling artist.
      • This led to another huge argument with insults flying from left to right and back again.
      • Accusations flew around that Scott had written the book for the money, and that the leak was a deliberate attempt to gain maximum publicity.
      • No one is safe as the accusations fly, sides are taken and irreversible decisions are forced to be made.
      • Once again accusations are flying about the lack of consultation over health services.
      • Already accusations are flying that the bid is rigged and fixed and they already know who is going to win.
      • And as if that was not enough, only last week there were accusations flying that standards among school newcomers were dropping.
      • Accusations are already flying between the German Government, opposition parties, federal ministries and teachers.
      • Since the most recent round of devastating fires, the accusations have flown thick and fast.
      • Obviously, as you can imagine, the charges and countercharges are flying fast and furious.
      • The political insults flying about the place certainly make it feel as though the starting pistol's been fired.
      • Simon was turned down by the residents' committee with accusations flying about who was rudest to who.
      • If that weren't enough, the insults and accusations were flying like sand on a pre-school playground.
      • Vituperative accusations flew back and forth between the two candidates.
      • A lot of allegations are flying at the moment; it is not clear whether they are true, and it is proper to wait for Zuma's trial, when they will be tested.
      • Shows were cancelled and accusations flew between members of the band as to who was to blame.
    2. 2.2 (of a report) be circulated swiftly and widely.
      （传闻）迅速传播
      rumours were flying around Manchester

      谣言在曼彻斯特迅速传开。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Rumours are currently flying around cyberspace that there might be a further three episodes of Star Wars in the pipeline.
      • It's been the hot topic of the World Cup, with conspiracy theories flying thick and fast as powerful teams have fallen to lesser soccer countries.
      • Rumors were flying around that there was all this partying going on, on the ‘Miami Vice’ set.
      • We have to be mindful of the conspiracy theories flying around the community.
      • Family are divided, there is no consensus, and information flying around differs, so it's hard for people to decide who is right on this one.
      • With all the rumours that were flying around about the newspaper's feature on the nightclub, I couldn't help myself; I had to get my hands on the article and read it myself.
      • Judging from all the telephone calls and emails flying around right now among intelligence veterans, the mood is one of disappointment and genuine concern.
      • Then yesterday in the mid afternoon text messages began flying around the town that the Alexander The Great star was perched on a bar stool in the Purty Kitchen Pub with some friends.
      • The online poll is, of course, completely unscientific, but is it any less so than the exit polls whose numbers are flying around the web?
      • The rumours are flying around the government.
      • This, despite their assertions of moral rectitude, implies that it is hard to make an informed judgment on an issue such as this with so much disinformation flying around.
      • ‘That speculation has been flying around for a while now and I've nothing really to add to it,’ said the Rovers chief.
      • Company commanders have, of course, briefed them, but there's still a lot of other information flying around.
      • There's even a rumour flying around that it might be Manchester City, given Keane's long-standing friendship with Stuart Pearce.
      • Another is that he was a defector and he just wanted to get away from the war, and all of this has been flying around in the last few days, and really no clear sense of what the true story is, is yet to emerge.
      • I think it was important to make clear how it happened, what happened during it, and how it ended, rather than all the speculation and the fabrications that were flying around.
      • Rumours are flying around the place at a rate of knots, everyone is understandably worried.
    3. 2.3Baseball Hit a ball high into the air.
      〔棒球〕打高飞球
      he flied out to the left field

      他向左外野打高飞球。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • With Wakefield up in the pen yet again as Francona burned through his options, Curt Leskanic came in and got Williams to fly to center to end the inning.
      • The deciding run, in the fourth inning, came as Crabtree tripled after Longacre fell trying to make the catch and Kurowski flew to right.
      • He was in the outfield when Houston pitcher Bill Greason flew to left.

  • 3with adverbial Wave or flutter in the wind.

    （尤指头发）扬起，飘动

    she ran after him, her hair flying behind her
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Her long golden brown and auburn hair flew behind her as the wind pushed it back.
    • In that touching movie, the hero Tristan often rode a horse, his long hair flying in the wind.
    • My hair flew behind me, the wind whistling through each strand.
    • We've all seen the image of the person on the motorcycle with her hair flying behind her in the wind.
    • Her hair flew haphazardly behind her as her horse raced against the wind.
    • She sighed dramatically, her silky black hair flying in the wind as she became increasingly frustrated.
    • Shaking his head back and forth his hair flew everywhere, hand waving at the side of his head as if he smelled something bad.
    • She and Kristina went out into the square and ran around with their hair flying in the wind.
    • My hair was flying in the wind with no absolute direction.
    • The really nasty bikers are easy to spot; they are the ones with long hair flying briskly in the wind, riding really fast.
    • Her hair was blowing freely in the wind and her cloak flew behind her, she felt so free when riding like nothing could touch her and she could do as she pleased.
    • His brown hair flew wildly in the wind, and a smirk played upon his lips.
    • A sight she looked, with her wind swept hair flying about her.
    • Her dishevelled hair flew wildly in the wind, framing a bewildered look.
    • The wind caressed my face and my hair flew like a cape behind me.
    • Hair flying in the wind, she urged her horse towards the high jump and sailed smoothly over the stacked logs.
    • Tears were forming in her bright blue eyes, her long blonde hair flying in the wind, while walking out to the parking lot.
    • Carried by the elements, the boat comes to life and we ride its bare back, salt spray in our faces, hair flying behind us, gasping with exhilaration.
    • Her black hair flew in the wind and she enjoyed the sheer exhilaration of the ride.
    • His eyes shone and his hair was flying wildly in the wind.
    Synonyms
    flutter, flap, wave, blow, waft, float, stream
    1. 3.1 (with reference to a flag) display or be displayed on a flagpole.
      （旗）悬挂（尤指在旗杆上）
      with object vessels which flew the Spanish flag
      no object flags were flying at half mast

      旗帜挂在旗杆一半的高度上。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • On the Capitol flagpole, the Lone Star flies below the American flag, emblem of the few brief years when slaveholding Texas was its own republic.
      • The reception was held in the Manor Court Hotel and the happy couple will reside at Rathnaskillogue where the Kilkenny and Waterford flags have been flying for some weeks.
      • The flag flew from the Post Office - at half mast for the death of any important person.
      • No one partied harder than the people of Bolton, with flags flying patriotically from flagpoles and bunting between the houses.
      • The flag flew from every public building, from every municipal flagpole, and from every structure of consequence in the land.
      • The flag was flying on the flagpole, meaning that Her Majesty was at home.
      Synonyms
      display, show, exhibit
      have hoisted, have run up

  • 4usually with adverbial of direction Go or move quickly.

    飞奔，快速移动

    she flew along the path

    她沿路飞奔。

    his fingertips flew across the keyboard
    Example sentencesExamples
    • You'll be flying along, and you come around a corner and the weather's totally different from what you left.
    • But she said that the traditional favourite costumes are still flying off the shelves.
    • He and I took one look at each other before flying down the stairs.
    • The book, new to the market, is currently flying off the shelves.
    • The postal pipe hugs the curb, rivulets of rain on it trembling every time a package flies along it.
    • The horse flew smoothly along the ground, her muscles moving in perfect synchronization with each other.
    • ‘We get lorries and all sorts flying along, and people do not drive for the conditions of the road at all,’ she said.
    • Luke took Hailey's hand in his, and the two hastily flew down the stairs and out of the lighthouse.
    • The tank then flew away at a blistering speed.
    • I flew recklessly quickly down the stairs, and ripped my front door open.
    • Traffic flies along the A19 and too few motorists adjust to the speed restriction imposed at Thormanby.
    • I can go into a state of zen-like calm and concentration, while my fingers fly across the keyboard.
    • She came flying out of the bathroom, hands fumbling to attach a backing to an earring.
    • She felt her fingertips flying over the fret board.
    • My fingers were flying over the keyboard, making words and sentences and thoughts.
    1. 4.1informal Depart hastily.
      〈非正式〉匆忙离去
      I must fly!

      我必须立即离开！

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Well, I really must fly, darling. Congratulations on your engagement and I shall see you on Saturday night!
      • ‘Thank you.’ Claudia stood up. ‘I have to fly! We must get together for dinner soon!’
      • We too must fly, so stride briskly over the bridge to Boat Of Garten, from where a steam railway plies its way across the moor to Aviemore, giving another magnificent aspect of the mountains.
      • And they've just put out the second call for our flight, so I must fly…
      Synonyms
      race, hurry, hasten, flash, dash, dart, rush, shoot, speed, hurtle, streak, really move, spank along, whirl, whizz, go like lightning, go hell for leather, whoosh, buzz, zoom, swoop, blast, charge
      stampede, gallop, chase, career, bustle, sweep, hare, wing, scurry, scud, scutter
      informal belt, scoot, scorch, tear, zap, zip, whip (along), get cracking, get a move on, step on it, burn rubber, go like a bat out of hell
      British informal bomb, bucket, shift, put one's foot down
      North American informal clip, boogie, hightail, barrel, lay rubber
      North American vulgar slang drag/tear/haul ass
      literary fleet
      archaic post, hie
    2. 4.2 (of time) pass swiftly.
      （时间）飞逝
      the evening had just flown by
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Those long winters on Lewis must have just flown by.
      • Another weekend has flown past and Easter is looming up pretty fast again this year.
      • Our five days in Germany's capital city flew along quickly even though the first week of January is more like an extended siesta period for Germans.
      • You'll have so much fun putting a project together that time flies.
      • How the long winter nights must fly by at Chez Blaine.
      • Those long winter nights at the Gert household must absolutely fly by.
      Synonyms
      go quickly, fly by/past, pass swiftly, slip past, rush past
    3. 4.3archaic Run away; flee.
      those that fly may fight again

      逃跑的人可能再次投入战斗。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Yet you did not fly from me, nor did I fly from you: we are innocent towards one another in our unfaithfulness.
      • And now Edward, in his turn, was compelled to fly from the country, and to take refuge with his brother-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy.
      • it was to the English he must have flown for protection, and to them he would naturally have communicated his fears.
      • She obtained employment as a servant in several places but was followed up by her husband and uncle, and compelled to fly from one place to another.
      • These people know of my crime; perhaps they will not fly from me, and will only kill me.
      Synonyms
      flee, run, run away, run off, make a run for it, run for it, take flight, be gone, make off, take off, take to one's heels, make a break for it, bolt, beat a retreat, beat a hasty retreat, make a quick exit, make one's getaway, escape, absent oneself, make oneself scarce, abscond, head for the hills, do a disappearing act
    4. 4.4archaic with object Escape from in haste; flee from.
      you must fly the country for a while

      你必须立即离开这个国家一段时间。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Regard for you has checked my course towards my leafy home, while duty to my country urges me to fly this place.
      • Beware of telling any one of our existence; or we must fly this land.
      • He was compelled to fly the realm for having murdered a woman with child.
      • Protestants, wherever they could obtain shipping, hasted to fly the country.
      • This is no time for thanks, Mr. Peters, unless it is to the Lord; you must fly the country, and that at once!
      Synonyms
      run away from, leave abruptly, leave hastily, flee, escape from

  • 5North American informal Be successful.

    〈北美，非正式〉成功

    that idea didn't fly with most other council members

    那主意在理事会大多数的其他成员身上都没奏效。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Here's one we prepared earlier on the current state of the art, and presumably if the UK scheme flies it will be along the lines of the US stuff.
    • ‘I don't think this is going to fly at all,’ he said. ‘It’s not going to happen.’
    • It didn't fly with the public. People didn't get it.
    • If this idea flies, I have no problem in supporting it and finding the ways to make it feasible.
    • This film usually gets great ratings, but it just didn't fly for me.
nounPlural flies flʌɪflaɪ

  • 1British often fliesAn opening at the crotch of a pair of trousers, closed with a zip or buttons and typically covered with a flap.

    〈英〉（裤子）前裆开口

    Example sentencesExamples
    • His knees buckle as he automatically checks his flies are fastened, coughs and addresses us, increasingly demented.
    • Go and try on a pair of Levi's 501s with the original button fly.
    • Imagine my reaction then as I stumble out of the cupboard buttoning up the flies on my jeans and two secretaries are walking past.
    • Boys, nay men, need to remember to wipe the toothpaste from the corners of their mouth, the crumbs from their beards and not to catch their shirts in their flies.
    • These flat-front relaxed chinos have a zipper fly, button tab, inside button, and on-seam pockets.
    • He'd haphazardly pulled his tuxedo trousers on, zipping the fly but leaving the button tantalizingly undone.
    • We make boxers with fake flies, no flies, and button flies.
    • I suppose the male equivalent to these little secrets was flying at half mast, flying low or egg on your face, to indicate undone or untidy trouser flies.
    • Perhaps I should turn up late, reeking of red wine and motel sheets, with lipstick on my collar and my flies down.
    • The Tory could not work out why they were so jovial and even checked his trouser flies to make sure he had not caused the merriment by ‘flying low’.
    • Interesting alternatives are Velcro straps or, if the shorts fit perfectly, stylish button flies.
    • If there's a zipper or button fly, mark the folded edge of the overlap side and use the leg on that side.
    • I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly.
    • Which is always like being caught in public with your fly open and your shirttail sticking through.
    1. 1.1 A flap of material covering the opening or fastening of a garment or of a tent.
      （衣服或帐篷开口处的）遮盖，挡帘
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I do not like how far I have to reach from the inside of the tent to the zip on the fly.
      • The tent's fly flutters in the wind a little.
      • After the exterior of the tent's fly dries, remove it and drape it over a bush or tree limb with the interior exposed.
      • We use our ice axes to stake down the fly, but it flaps as violently as a trapped bird.

  • 2the fliesThe space over the stage in a theatre.

    （剧院）吊景区，悬吊布景的空间

    Example sentencesExamples
    • A dancer will be lowered like a window washer, bucket and squeegee in hand, from the flies of the stage.
    • The rest, even while the scenery keeps rising from the floor or descending from the flies, remains unremittingly flat.
    • Also all sorts of bolts of cloth unrolled this way and that or unfurling from the flies, sometimes covering the entire cast, though not for long enough.
    • Suspended from the flies or moving in slow motion, she was a spiritual warrior and her chalked, nude body was her testing ground.
    • The National Theatre, with its push-button revolving stage, its sets which came out of the flies or up from the floor, was one of the mechanical wonders of the age.

  • 3Baseball

    short for fly ball
    Example sentencesExamples
    • He steals a base up by 10 runs or down by 10, and he's standing on second base by the time his routine fly to center field is caught.
    • In years gone by, if a fielder caught a foul fly while stepping into the dugout, it was ruled a legal catch.
    • He led off the top of the ninth inning with a high fly down the left field line.
    • This season, he's producing a lot of weak pop flies and grounders.
    • In 1941, Williams hit six long flies that drove in a runner from third base.

  • 4British historical A one-horse hackney carriage.

    〈英，史〉单马出租马车

    Example sentencesExamples
    • In half a minute the light of the lanterns fell upon a hired fly, drawn by a steaming and jaded horse.
    • I paid my bill at the hotel, and hired a fly to take me to the town.
    • The season at Solentsea was now past: the parade was gloomy, and the flys were few and cheap.
    • He was on a visit to a friend, and met with his death through an accident while riding in a fly.
    • Just lie down here for a few minutes until I can procure a fly, and I will have you there in a jiffy.

  • 5Australian NZ informal An attempt.

    〈澳，非正式〉努力，尝试，企图

    we decided to give it a fly

    我们决定尝试一下。

Phrases

  • fly the coop

    • informal Make one's escape.

      〈非正式〉逃跑

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘They are flying the coop in search of greener pastures,’ she lamented at a press conference recently.
      • She had wanted to take our relationship to the next level and that's always when I fly the coop.
      • I helped keep track of Zoe last month, I let them know when she flew the coop, and they don't even let me know anything about her!
      • After my ex flew the coop, I tied my wedding ring to a helium balloon and let it loose in the wild blue yonder.
      • Is it just me or don't most people want to fly the coop by the time they hit 20?
      • Eventually, the writers took pity on their tragic hero and Timothy was allowed to fly the coop with his latest girlfriend, Pippa, at the end.
      • Alan's the eldest and had decided to fly the coop… he had some great friends over there, he was really happy.
      • The company today rubbished rumours that its flamboyant founder was flying the coop.
      • As the pressure mounts, rumors circulate that Jim intends to double-cross his old friends and fly the coop.
      • The meeting was called by a bunch of auditors, so I should have known to fly the coop.

  • fly high

    • Be very successful; prosper.

      非常成功；繁荣昌盛

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Emmerdale has been flying high in the TV ratings recently, attracting an audience of almost ten million.
      • Pubs, restaurants and shops at Middlebrook and the rest of the town thrives when the club is flying high.
      • The prime minister was flying high in the middle of last year.
      • It all means the economy, so long flying high in the clouds, is set for a crash landing, albeit after the next election.
      • A young pigeon fancier is flying high after his new hobby saw him racing ahead of the competition.
      • But she is a very happy woman today, seeing her daughter flying high.
      • Tourism was flying high this August Bank Holiday weekend, a year after the foot and mouth crisis threatened a serious dent in the area's economy.
      • While Brandon's career is flying high, Courtney insists the action star hasn't changed at all.
      • The small club have been flying high in the top division.
      • As part of its platinum jubilee celebrations, it has planned a series of programmes that would keep the art of India flying high.
      • Five air cadets are flying high after winning Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards.

  • fly in the face of

    • Be openly at variance with (what is usual or expected)

      悍然不顾；公然违抗

      a need to fly in the face of convention

      公开违反习俗的必要。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It flies in the face of reason and logic to expect such a thing.
      • ‘The Home Secretary has chosen to fly in the face of so much compelling evidence that the law needs to be changed,’ said Mr Davis.
      • However, at least one of the contributors is an American, which seems to fly in the face of what they are attempting.
      • Miss Lyall said: ‘It was flying in the face of what central government were saying.’
      • The idea not only seemed illogical, it also flew in the face of what the Government was trying to achieve in the first place.
      • This flies in the face of what the king's supporters want.
      • This approach may fly in the face of what the public wants.
      • Of course, that completely flies in the face of what is really happening.
      • This government continues to fly in the face of not just international opinion, but commonsense and decency.
      • This kind of charity flies in the face of all the economic truths that are evident and all the truths we have been told by the government.
      Synonyms
      go against, flout, defy, disobey, refuse to obey, rebel against, thumb one's nose at, disregard, ignore, set one's face against, kick against

  • fly into a rage (or temper)

    • Become suddenly or violently angry.

      勃然大怒

      Example sentencesExamples
      • When Teresa refused he flew into a violent rage, and seriously assaulted her.
      • Her mother said she didn't believe her, flew into a rage, and threw her out of the house.
      • A drunken police officer flew into a rage and punched two students when told he had missed his last train home after a Christmas party.
      • She suspected her mother would fly into a rage if she asked her this question.
      • All I did was stick my tongue out and he flew into a rage.
      • She would line all her toys up on the drive and if one was moved would fly into a rage.
      • If everything was not perfect he could fly into a rage.
      • AN 18-year-old flew into a rage when he thought his girlfriend was involved with another man.
      • Ian flew into a rage, vowing never to speak to his younger brother or wife again.
      • I have met men who can fix a broken kettle or a toaster without flying into a temper and shouting at the kids.

  • fly a kite

    • informal Try something out to test public opinion.

      〈非正式，喻〉试探舆论

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Here he is flying a kite on nationalising public hospitals - not endorsing it and not dismissing it either!
      • Of course, the company could just be flying a kite, but the inclusion of high-resolution pictures suggests PalmOne conived in their publication.
      • A day later, the governing body's chairman, Geoff Thompson, flew a kite: that Keegan may need ‘a little help’ in integrating the country's leading coaches into service for the international side.
      • However, industry insiders have say that the company is flying a kite to see if this plan provokes any interest among operators.
      • I discussed the situation with Henrik Larsson and flew a kite about him going to Barcelona.

  • fly the nest

    • 1(of a young bird) leave its nest on becoming able to fly.

      （幼鸟）会飞时离巢

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The council will now have to wait for the eggs to hatch and the chicks to fly the nest before sending the demolition men back in, unless a bid for a special licence to remove the nest is granted.
      • It is fascinating keeping an eye on them and I look forward to seeing the eggs hatch and the young birds fly the nest.
      • The eggs have now hatched into four tiny pied wagtails, and Mr Thompson and his men are waiting for them to fly the nest, so the truck can go back on the road.
      • What happens is when they fly the nest the muscles in their wings aren't quite strong enough.
      • Now the three fledglings are taking to the skies every day as they prepare to fly the nest, although they return home to the quarry each night.
      • They have protected the nest since March, and continue to do so now the fledglings are almost ready to fly the nest.
      • The nestlings, grey coloured until they get their adult feathers, fly the nest 17-21 days after hatching.
      1. 1.1informal (of a young person) leave their parents' home to set up home elsewhere.
        〈非正式〉（年轻人）自立门户
        Example sentencesExamples
        • Admittedly, they are a bit young yet to be flying the nest, and I wasn't intimating that I was especially anxious to be rid of them.
        • It wasn't long before she decided to fly the nest and make her way to Paris, where her jobs included modelling, waitressing and learning to cook at the La Varenne school.
        • It's not just that he's upset about his kids flying the nest.
        • So that's another sibling to vacate Southport; another is likely to fly the nest in the not too distant future, even my parents are looking at moving themselves.
        • Several changes in her life, including her children flying the nest, have meant that now is the right time for a change.
        • As a man of almost 70 who has his only two sons still living with him at home at the ages of 38 and 30 and - unfortunately - showing little sign of flying the nest, I would be deliriously happy to have a grandchild.
        • Exasperated parents are handing over thousands of pounds to encourage their grown-up children to fly the nest and take their own first steps on the property ladder.
        • The number of young people in the UK who have yet to fly the nest is still below the European average, and significantly fewer than their counterparts in Italy.
        • When he left for university it was his mum that did all the crying, I was pleased for him for flying the nest and making his own way.
        • Marriages frequently run into trouble under the strain of dealing with rebellious teenagers, or when the children fly the nest.

  • fly off the handle

    • informal Lose one's temper suddenly and unexpectedly.

      〈非正式〉突然发怒

      Example sentencesExamples
      • We can't have him flying off the handle at the slightest provocation but we also need a President who is alert mentally.
      • There are still moments when they fly off the handle, but for the most part they understand that they are safe here.
      • I took a deep breath and tried not to fly off the handle.
      • But touch on anything emotional and Andrew flies off the handle.
      • Now 15, he is every bit the troubled teen, picking fights and flying off the handle at his closest friends.
      • I became incredibly moody - well, irritable, really - and would behave in a way most unlike me, flying off the handle at the least provocation.
      • Just because you need to buy a cable in addition to your printer does not give you license to fly off the handle at the sales rep.
      • I think if you understood the back story of my frustrating relationship with this overpriced garage you might appreciate why I flew off the handle.
      • This issue is personal for me - that's why I'm flying off the handle.
      • I'm sorry if it seems like I'm flying off the handle, but I'm just a bit disturbed and upset right now.
      Synonyms
      lose one's temper, become very angry, fly into a rage, explode, blow up, erupt, lose control, go berserk, breathe fire, begin to rant and rave, flare up, boil over

  • go fly a kite

    • informal in imperativeGo away.

      〈北美，非正式〉走开，滚开

      Example sentencesExamples
      • And if it attempted to subpoena those documents, the White House would tell it to go fly a kite.
      • I'm certain it's far beyond your comprehension. Why don't you just go fly a kite?
      • The Government has now legislated a convoluted process whereby criminals can profit and victims can go fly a kite.
      • If someone suggests that you should go fly a kite today, it's probably because you've been too intense.
      • Franklin wanted the turkey and they told him to go fly a kite.

  • on the fly

    • 1While in motion or progress.

      飞行中，未落地时；进行中

      producers were able to schedule the day's Olympic coverage on the fly
      Example sentencesExamples
      • She's able to do a translation on the fly and read the email to you in seamless English.
      • The rap against him is he makes mistakes in coverage and has trouble adjusting on the fly.
      • I have numerous ways that I catch and categorize information on the fly.
      • It is a fantastic note-taking application, which will really aid those constantly collecting data on the fly.
      • Mail was picked up on the fly using a catch arm on the side of the car swung out by a Railway Mail Clerk who at the same time kicked off a sack of mail for that place.
      • Are your adventures carefully planned out in several notebooks, or done on the fly?
      • This is not so much a carelessly structured story as a story made up on the fly.
      • Workers must be able to access and manage their communications on the fly, and at a moment's notice from anywhere in the world.
      • I ask you: who's speaking his heart, and who's crafting a response on the fly trying to cover all bases?
      1. 1.1During the running of a computer program without interrupting the run.
        〔计算机〕程序运行期间，不中断程序运行
        Example sentencesExamples
        • Most of the pages are generated on the fly through a database query.
        • Graphical charts can be generated on the fly from this data or generated as static pages at scheduled intervals.
        • Volumes of storage can be allocated to application servers on the fly, without interrupting operation.
        • This will provide instant access to company data in documents created on screen on the fly.
        • The tests even simulate how networks make bandwidth and other changes on the fly.

Phrasal Verbs

  • fly at

    • 1Attack verbally or physically.

      （口头，身体）攻击

      Robbie flew at him, fists clenched

      罗比双拳紧握，对他猛打猛捶。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • She flew at one of the attackers.
      • Malcolm hadn't moved an inch, even as I'd been flying at him.
      • But springing back up, the teen didn't even miss a beat before he was flying at Greg again, fist raised for the attack.
      • She is locked up after flying at John Reed who beat her.
      • Before I can even think about it, I fly at him, with the express purpose of attacking him and leaving him nothing less than a non-breathing entity.
      • Diana's eyes popped open and in a mindless rage she flew at him, beating her fists on everything she could reach.
      • She flew at her father, beating him.
      Synonyms
      attack, assault, make an assault on, launch an attack on, pounce on, set upon, set about, launch oneself at, weigh into, let fly at, turn on, round on, lash out at, hit out at, strike out at, beset, belabour, fall on, accost, mug, charge, rush, storm

    • 2(of a hawk) pursue and attack, or habitually pursue (prey).

      （鹰）追逐并扑向；习惯性追逐（猎物）

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He compared the actions of parliament to a hawk flying at a covey of partridge.
      • Suddenly the hawk flies at something a long way off. It's a squirrel running on the ground.
      1. 2.1Send a hawk to pursue and attack (prey).
        放鹰追捕（猎物）
        Example sentencesExamples
        • He let fly a hawk at some game.
        • The Emperor himself living in a wooden house, his exercise only flying a hawk at pigeons.
        • Training and flying a hawk at prey species is what falconry is all about.
        • For a time I flew a hawk at ducks on certain small ponds about a quarter hour's drive from my laboratory.
        • I love better to fly a hawk at a heron, or to crush a cup with a friend, than. listen to their droning chants and their dull sermons.

Derivatives

  • flyable

    • adjective
    • Another deal was struck which would see Dick and his crew get the plane flyable, take it Long Beach and put it up for sale.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • There is nothing much worse than a bunch of hang glider pilots sitting around on a flyable day questioning the meaning of their lives.
      • The idea is to create a network of volunteers who would be willing to donate, or loan, their old, but still flyable, gliders and gear to instructors.
      • If an aircrew makes errors in evaluating an engine failure, they can lose a perfectly flyable aircraft.
      • The weather in the UK doesn't allow for many days of consistent flyable conditions.

Origin

Old English flēogan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vliegen and German fliegen, also to fly2.

  • In Old English a fly was any winged insect. In the 17th century the clergyman Edward Topsell wrote of ‘the black flies called beetles’. A fly in the ointment is a minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something. The phrase goes back to a verse in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, ‘Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour.’ To fly a kite has had various incarnations in slang. It now means ‘to try something out to test public opinion’, but in the 19th century it was to raise money on credit. In the USA telling someone to go fly a kite is to tell them to go away. The flies on trousers or in a theatre come from the idea that they are only partly attached to their base, as if they could fly off.

Rhymes

ally, Altai, apply, assai, awry, ay, aye, Baha'i, belie, bi, Bligh, buy, by, bye, bye-bye, chi, Chiangmai, Ciskei, comply, cry, Cy, Dai, defy, deny, Di, die, do-or-die, dry, Dubai, dye, espy, eye, fie, forbye, fry, Frye, goodbye (US goodby), guy, hereby, hi, hie, high, I, imply, I-spy, July, kai, lie, lye, Mackay, misapply, my, nearby, nigh, Nye, outfly, passer-by, phi, pi, pie, ply, pry, psi, Qinghai, rai, rely, rocaille, rye, scry, serai, shanghai, shy, sigh, sky, Skye, sky-high, sly, spin-dry, spry, spy, sty, Sukhotai, supply, Tai, Thai, thereby, thigh, thy, tie, Transkei, try, tumble-dry, underlie, Versailles, Vi, vie, whereby, why, wry, Wye, xi, Xingtai, Yantai

fly2

nounPlural flies flʌɪflaɪ

  • 1A flying insect of a large order characterized by a single pair of transparent wings and sucking (and often also piercing) mouthparts. Flies are of great importance as vectors of disease.

    苍蝇。参见DIPTERA

    Order Diptera: numerous families

    See also Diptera
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Manure stored in silo-type storage units may crust on the top, but cracks allow flies to deposit eggs in wet material below the crust.
    • They had a telescope where you could see a fly on a chimney from 300 feet away.
    • The mature larva emerges from the wound in six to 12 weeks, falls to the ground, and pupates into adult flies in about 30 days.
    • The adult female fly lays her eggs in moist decaying animal and plant wastes.
    • I stayed near the opening where a small swarm of flies buzzed about outside.
    • The picture was so sharp I could see the flies buzzing around the animals.
    • The wind blew the row cover off the seed bed leaving the tender young radishes exposed to the flies.
    • Failing to cover body wastes in open latrines promoted the spread of disease by flies.
    • The right wings of flies were removed using fine forceps and mounted on microscope slides using double-sided tape.
    • A single fly was placed on the platform, and placidly stayed there, motionless, until the test stimulus was presented.
    • Sensitive hairs on their bodies send data directly to the wings, so these flies can take off the instant motion is detected.
    • She batted at the flies with her gloved hand and sighed.
    • Insects, especially beetles, caterpillars, moths, and flies, are the most common prey.
    • They spend their days empty bellied and covered with a swarm of flies.
    • There were also winged salamanders feasting on flying insects such as flies and mosquitoes.
    • Spiders, she has reasoned correctly, are the natural predators of flies.
    • On the up side, with the arrival of the rain came the departure of the flies.
    • Almost 40 years ago Ed Lewis discovered a remarkable fly that differs from an ordinary fly by one extra pair of wings.
    • The caterers spent the entire time flapping their arms in a furious, but futile attempt to discourage the flies.
    • Raw and cooked food should always be kept and handled separately, and all food should be kept covered and out of the way of flies!
    1. 1.1usually in combination Used in names of flying insects of other orders, e.g. butterfly, dragonfly, firefly.
      用于有翅昆虫名称中，如butterfly，dragonfly和firefly
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The same is true of tsetse flies that bring sleeping sickness to animals.
      • The horn fly, Haematobia irritans, is probably the most important economically damaging ectoparasite of grazing cattle.
      • In the garden dill attracts beneficial insects, including bees, parasitic wasps and tachinid flies.
      • After a while I became quite good at spotting tsetse flies in the bungalow.
      • Why did the common name fruit fly supersede vinegar or pomace fly?
      • The female gall fly lays her eggs in young buds, causing the plant to form galls.
      • A large lantern insect, the mealy fly is a sucking bug.
      • These are visited by a diverse array of animals, including bees, hawk moths, beetles, butterflies, long-tongued flies, hummingbirds and bats.
      • This diminutive wasp is a powerful natural enemy of the melon fly.
      • The Old World hunter fly seemingly enjoys a challenge.
      • The scientists say similar decoys can be tailor-made for other insect pests closely related to the apple maggot fly.
      • Donald Feener is an ecologist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City who studies the relationship between parasitic flies and ants.
    2. 1.2mass noun An infestation of flying insects on a plant or animal.
      （植物或动物的）蝇类虫害，虫害
      cattle to be treated for warble fly

      要治皮蝇虫害的牛。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Some of the young bulbs on the lower deck are still green and you have to be alert for green fly.
      • Where Mediterranean fruit fly is a potential problem, bait should be laid six weeks before picking.
      • The Mock Orange bush has a bad case of black fly already, and the rose bush has greenfly.
    3. 1.3 A natural or artificial flying insect used as bait in fishing, especially a mayfly.
      （作钓饵用的）蝇，假蝇（尤指蜉蝣或蜉蝣状钓饵）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • After all, he drove to the Big Hole in an automobile, fished with a fiberglass rod, and tied flies with synthetic materials.
      • Big perch can be taken on flies, spinners and plugs and in some areas there are big roach.
      • It doesn't seem to have any stretch which helps set the hook when your fishing deep with very big flies.
      • These flies may have brightly coloured bodies or long hackles and we can only guess at what the trout think they are.
      • And, then, there are those things that give fly fishing its name - the flies.
      • The artificial fly represents a food item be it insect, crustacean or smaller fish.
      • In fact, it was Victorian fly fishermen, not scientists, who first studied these insects closely in order to imitate them with artificial flies.
      • Unlike in trout fishing, where an artificial fly is used, anglers hunting pike tend to go for bait such as small fish.
      • Additionally, I do not like my flies too bulky and find that two strands of herl would be the most that I ever use.
      • For early season use most anglers tend to fish the flies deeper and so use heavier hooks.
      • The best flies are streamers, those big creations that imitate bait fish or large nymphs.
      • Take the advice of local anglers for choice of flies and small popping plugs.
      • I wound in all my line, clipped off the fly, stowed the rod away and sat down in my padded seat.
      • Although many game anglers tie their own flies, very few bother to make their own fly rods.
      • I use knotless tapered leaders but after attaching a few flies I tie in some tippet material when needed.
      • It was taken on a light trout rod at Beat 4 by Dutch angler Ulrich Treusch, who was using one of his own fly tying - a fly named the Morbun Special.
      • Lee not only produces flies commercially but also provides fly tying materials.
      • There seems to be a culture that now associates using artificial lures and flies with the need to conserve our stocks for the future.
      • Then as I retrieved it slowly, I could see a good rainbow following in the wake of the fly.
      • Jimmy has tied flies for international fishing teams.

Phrases

  • die (or drop) like flies

    • Die or collapse in large numbers.

      大量地死（或倒下）

      Example sentencesExamples
      • They say that if these farmers are forced out of unproductive farming because of globalisation, then they will die like flies.
      • My friends and classmates are dropping like flies, following me into the realm of living death.
      • Only a few days ago I was feeling smug about not coming down with anything even though my workmates were dropping like flies.
      • Do you mean to tell me that they are just going to sit there while people continue to drop like flies and offer no solutions?
      • It saddens me at the end of every semester to see my dance mates dropping like flies because of injuries.
      • Inmates are dropping like flies and being taken for emergency medical treatment.
      • Imagine you are being attacked from every angle, and your troops and vehicles are dropping like flies.
      • Children died like flies in those conditions.
      • The fine animals that had endured the hellish voyage out from Britain died like flies from cold and sheer starvation.
      • When people are dropping like flies in plagues and epidemics, some actually recover, while others in their midst remain unscathed.

  • drink with the flies

    • Drink alone.

      〈澳／新西兰〉独自饮酒

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Mick and I were enjoying some amber fluid the other day (no, I don't drink with the flies).
      • It ain't a lotta fun drinking with the flies, but there are advantages to be had.
      • He hates drinking with the flies so someone had better join him soon.
      • if I wanted to have a drink I had to drink with the flies.
      • He'll even drink with the flies every now and then.

  • a fly in the ointment

    • A minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something.

      美中不足之处；令人扫兴的小事

      Example sentencesExamples
      • There is one fly in the ointment with Morris' plan - we don't have the money to do it.
      • There is, of course, one fly in the ointment, and that is the fact that space exploration costs money.
      • But there was still a tiny fly in the ointment - the sticky issue of which parent would gain custody of the kids in the unfortunate event of divorce.
      • Yes, don't you know I'm going to throw a fly in the ointment?
      • Am feeling fairly chilled at the moment - the only fly in the ointment at the moment is that Mum is coming to visit tomorrow
      • The fly in the ointment will be if there are major planning hold-ups.
      • The fly in the ointment for the Democrats, as reflected in this poll, is that they still don't have a candidate.
      • Needless to say there is a bureaucratic fly in the ointment.
      • The only fly in the ointment is the difficulty in getting good-sized crowds through the turnstiles.
      • The fly in the ointment for City fans is that if Spurs win their final game they could edge out both teams
      Synonyms
      snag, hitch, catch, drawback, difficulty, problem, weakness, defect, pitfall, complication

  • fly on the wall

    • 1An unnoticed observer of a particular situation.

      未被察觉的观察者

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He reveals details of boardroom machinations and backstairs skirmishes which only a fly on the wall could have witnessed.
      • Should we be a fly on the wall, monitoring the conversations back and forth?
      • It is very disconcerting to be a fly on the wall as a band figures out what musical style best suits them (something that is generally determined before the studio album is recorded).
      • I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in last week's Cabinet meeting.
      • If you were a fly on the wall at last Wednesday's annual general meeting in Limerick you could not fail to have been impressed by the way he withstood heckling from farmer shareholders.
      • Women are born with the instinctive knowledge that men would love to snoop on our lunch conversations, or be a fly on the wall when we nip to the ladies for a little light synchronised nose-powdering.
      • Most contemporary memoirs leave you feeling cheap, like you've been a fly on the wall at a particularly horrific therapy session.
      • I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.
      • Oh, to be a fly on the wall during all these discussions.
      • They will report back in six months with their recommendations, but, oh, to be a fly on the wall as this little lot get around the table.
      Synonyms
      observer, spectator, onlooker, watcher, looker-on, viewer, witness, eyewitness
      1. 1.1as modifierDenoting a film-making technique whereby events are recorded realistically with minimum interference rather than acted out under direction.
        （电影拍摄技术）实地拍摄
        a fly-on-the-wall documentary

        实地拍摄的纪录片。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • This is a ‘fly on the wall’ film in which we get to see the 3 band members in all their true colours.
        • This spoof, fly on the wall, documentary is funny, scary, provocative, disturbing and has a real point to make.
        • You take a very fly-on-the-wall approach which allows the viewer to form their own opinions.
        • I get increasingly exasperated by TV - cookery, gardening, soaps and fly on the wall documentaries all irritate me.
        • It's a simple premise - a fly on the wall documentary in a London beauty salon.
        • Does anyone remember that fly on the wall documentary on channel 4 where some teenage kids looked after real children?
        • The English actor detests reality TV, but admits he may have to appear in a fly-on-the-wall show if his acting career dries up.

  • like a blue-arsed fly

    • vulgar slang In an extremely hectic or frantic way.

      〈英，粗俚〉非常兴奋的，紧张忙碌的；疯狂的

  • (there are) no flies on —

    • Used to emphasize a person's cleverness and astuteness.

      （人）机敏的；精明的

      no flies on Phyllis—she paid six months in advance
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Yorkshire were seen home in 26.5 overs by Wood and Phil Jaques, Wood ending with 41 from 68 deliveries, and there were certainly no flies on Yorkshire as they headed north in the early evening sunshine.
      • There are no flies on this earlier version, however, which was recorded at the end of November 1954.
      • However, I'm not sure if I got value for money and can't help remembering that there were no flies on me in that modest Bordeaux bistro.
      • Yep, no flies on our Stevie, whose last gig was as Secretary of State for Indian Affairs and Western Economic Diversification.
      • You could say there were no flies on Kevin when it came to football.

  • wouldn't hurt (or harm) a fly

    • Used to emphasize how inoffensive and harmless a person or animal is.

      （人，动物）不伤人的，温和的

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was always kind to everyone and he literally wouldn't harm a fly.
      • He's a full bred Staffordshire Bullpit Rottweiler, and though he occasionally chews the bottom of the backdoor off, he's a harmless and lovable creature that wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • Phyllis was really nice - she wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • Yet, when people meet the man, they find that he is funny, genial, witty and charming and seemingly wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone drive a rival out of business.
      • In the witness box he looked like a frail, old man, the type who wouldn't hurt a fly, with always a pleasant word for the neighbours.
      • I never really knew what kind of dog he was exactly, I just knew that he was a good dog and wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • She had loads of friends and wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • While I'm a passive guy and wouldn't harm a fly, I did have the sudden urge to blow something up real good.
      • He wouldn't harm a fly, but his depression seems to have twisted his mind.
      • A close friend, who did not want to be named, today described Lorrie as a ‘lovely, shy man who had a heart of gold and wouldn't hurt a fly’.

  • you (can) catch more flies with honey than (with) vinegar

    • proverb It is more effective to be polite and flattering than to be hostile or demanding.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I accepted her criticisms, recognizing that I would probably catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
      • She sought to be less confrontational under the assumption that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
      • So what's wrong with a book whose basic message is: you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?
      • Her thesis in this piece appears to be that female academics ought to be using their wiles to confront inequality because "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".
      • The government's subdued reaction to the case is just another case where you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
      • You're making bald accusations against him, but you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, you know.
      • Whoever said you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar had no clue.
      • Someone should teach them that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
      • I have no reason to believe that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" doesn't apply to politics.

Origin

Old English flȳge, flēoge, denoting any winged insect, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieg and German Fliege, also to fly1.

fly3

adjectiveflyer, flyest flʌɪflaɪ
informal

  • 1British Knowing and clever.

    〈英〉机灵的，善于处世的

    she's fly enough not to get tricked out of it

    她很机灵，不会被淘汰。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • I'm too fly to admit anything to youse guys.
    • Never in the history of nannies has there been a more fly nanny than Julie Andrews.
    • I would ask you to bear in mind that Broome is a very fly and slippery character.
    • This sort of manoeuvre must have been what one shadow cabinet colleague had in mind when he privately described the politician as ‘an extremely fly operator’.
    Synonyms
    shrewd, sharp, astute, acute, canny, worldly-wise, knowing, clever, sharp-witted, quick-witted, nimble-witted, wily

  • 2North American Fashionably attractive and impressive.

    a fly dude
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Ryan's a super fly dude.
    • I was looking for the fly stuff, and I don't mean fishing gear.
    • Babs wants to know if her romance with the fly guy she met last year is for keeps.
    • Anyone can be fly, race has no bearing on who is fly and who is not.
    • If your neighbor's got a fly crib or a pimped-out set of wheels, that's their business, not yours.

Derivatives

  • flyness

    • noun
    informal
    • your page is so live and professional, that I did not want to ruin its flyness.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • If you're looking for the suit that will make you look like a celebrity, with a little bit of "flyness" to it, then this is it!
      • I have to give it to him; for a dude in his 40’s he is the epitome of flyness.
      • He shared his neighbours' fundamental piety, their flyness, their brusque manners and their vigorous speech.
      • Appearance is important but how many times have you seen some fly girl or guy and then when they open their mouth their flyness is overshadowed by their lack of substance.

Origin

Early 19th century: of unknown origin.

verb.1
phr.
phr.v.
noun.1
phr.
adj.1

fly1

verbflīflaɪ
[no object]

  • 1(of a bird, bat, or insect) move through the air using wings.

    （鸟等有翼的生物）飞，飞行

    close the door or the moths will fly in

    关上门，否则蛾子会飞进来。

    the bird can fly enormous distances

    鸟能飞很远。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • She walked past neat gardens and tidy houses, watching small birds bath in bird baths, insects fly around flowers and people inside their air conditioned houses.
    • A moth flies by, wings beating slowly as though it were a bird; then a woman, barefoot in a long gown, appears to swim upward in defiance of gravity.
    • He said the company does have occasional problems with birds flying into power cables but this area was not considered at high risk and no other similar incidents have been reported over the past year.
    • While a person may hop on one foot, it is difficult to envision a bird flying with only one wing.
    • Lynx got up and went to the window, and barely saw a black bird flying off into the distance.
    • The sun was shining too, and birds and butterflies were flying about.
    • He believes a bird flying over the garden could have dropped a sunflower seed which has now transformed into the large plant.
    • His eyes wandered slightly towards the windows, seeing several birds fly off into the distance.
    • She was sure he hit one bird because there was a flurry of feathers and a bird flew away.
    • I was woken up this morning at half past five by quite the most enormous bumble bee flying around the bedroom.
    • A gaggle of quibblers complain that chickens do fly, albeit short distances.
    • It interests me for a few seconds until I realise that it is not music but the sound of a billion insects flying down from the mountain.
    • North of Fairwater, a few geese fly in the distance.
    • If the butterfly can fly free with its wings of iridescent color, gardeners should be allowed to do the same.
    • The raptor folds its wings, brings its talons forward, and careens toward the outstretched wings of an unsuspecting bird flying below.
    • Dozens of the dainty white gulls danced over the water, and I saw a Bald Eagle flying in the distance.
    • The birds flew from their nests in the trees and insects stopped their chirping.
    • In rainy periods, when few insects are flying, the birds switch to ground feeding.
    • What was also surprising was the number of insects still flying and giving the birds a good meal.
    • Early this year, flowers bloomed ahead of time in spring and migrant birds flew back to the north earlier than usual.
    Synonyms
    travel through the air, wing its way, wing, glide, soar, wheel
    1. 1.1 (of an aircraft or its occupants) travel through the air.
      （飞机）飞行；（机上人员）乘飞机旅行
      I fly back to New York this evening

      我今晚飞回伦敦。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Massive concrete walls and a thick concrete roof would ensure that recording sessions would be unaffected even by the noise of a helicopter flying overhead.
      • The airplane flew reasonably well despite the temporarily deformed airfoil.
      • In addition, the newer aircraft can fly higher and have a greater range than the older planes.
      • The aircraft flew to New York and back twice between July 21 and the final takeoff on July 25.
      • As the aircraft flew over his house, the engine started to cut out and was sputtering.
      • Then after that we saw 7 airplanes flying around in the sky.
      • Two helicopters carrying cameras will fly overhead looking down over the stadium and Cardiff city
      • Unfortunately, the fifth aircraft flew into a sand storm and crashed, killing the pilot and mechanic.
      • Air Force jets and police helicopters continued to fly overhead at regular intervals, yet at street level all was unusually quiet.
      • The aircraft flies at altitudes high enough that there is no acoustic footprint.
      • And apart from the noise of helicopters flying overhead, there was no indication, even from a couple of streets away, that there was any trouble.
      • Then the F - 16 fighter planes flew overhead, which is always impressive.
      • When an airplane is flying, it has a good deal of forward speed and airflow over all of its surfaces.
      • They said they saw an aircraft flying at a high altitude just before the blast.
      • Planes burn less fuel at higher altitudes, so pilots often fly at higher altitudes on long flights.
      • Several eyewitnesses reported observing the airplane flying over the city prior to the accident.
      • After nearly nine months of work, he said that it was very pleasing to see the aircraft flying once again.
      • One aircraft flying from Heathrow to Geneva had to divert into Lyon because bad weather meant it could not land.
      • Unbeknown to the pilot, the altimeter had been damaged and the aircraft was flying very low.
      • If anyone stuck in their car looked up, they could see airplanes flying low as they took off from the airport.
      Synonyms
      go by air, travel by air, go by plane, travel by plane, jet
    2. 1.2with object Control the flight of (an aircraft); pilot.
      驾驶（飞机）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • However, it was not unusual for a pilot with an assigned aircraft to fly whatever aircraft was serviceable on any given day.
      • I flew the airplane correctly, managed the emergency properly and extended the glide almost to its limits.
      • The aircraft is flown by two flight crew with between six and ten mission crew.
      • The autopilot can fly an airplane once in the air, and land it, but it cannot be used during takeoff.
      • Mr Hitchins, who had more experience flying gliders than aircraft, had not flown to Wadswick before so invited Mr Moore to come with him.
      • They fly heavy tankers that deliver gas to other aircraft in midair.
      • The location of the engines, high on the fuselage, allows the pilot to fly the aircraft fairly easily with one engine inoperable.
      • The nearest aircraft was regularly flown by Flight Lieutenant Bill Newton.
      • The aircraft is flown by two pilots rather than four aircrew.
      • We know that you served as an Air Force Academy liaison officer when you weren't flying airliners.
      • The autopilot helps fly the airplane while the pilots run the appropriate checklists.
      • The foundation of a successful aviation career is a burning desire to fly airplanes.
      • The aircraft is flown by five crew members: the pilot and co-pilot, flight engineer and two loadmasters.
      • When flying a helicopter the controls need to be manually held at all times.
      • Only our most experienced pilots were allowed to fly this new airplane at the time.
      • Then again, you'll have to admit, the men who fly our modern airliners are experts - they have to be!
      • I will be wearing standard US issue flight gear, and I will be flying a navy aircraft clearly marked as a US warplane.
      • If a pilot didn't fly his own airplane for six months or more, he often was the only one who knew.
      • In 1900, German Count von Zeppelin flew his first airship.
      • This reduced the amount of control forces and the frequency of control movements required to fly the aircraft.
      Synonyms
      pilot, operate, control, manoeuvre, steer, guide, direct, navigate
    3. 1.3with object and adverbial of direction Transport in an aircraft.
      空运
      helicopters flew the injured to a hospital

      直升机把伤员送往医院。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • After a motorcade ride to Dulles, the turkeys were flown to California to their new home at Disneyland.
      • But he asked, apparently, for a helicopter to fly him in every day from wherever he was, and they bounced him.
      • New Zealand has offered to fund a helicopter to fly a team of four doctors into Nias to treat the earthquake injured, and Prime Minister Helen Clark promised more aid will follow.
      • A total of 28 orphaned Great Bustard chicks were flown to the UK from Russia in the autumn, and released into the wild on Salisbury Plain.
      • Soldiers were then flown by Black Hawk or Caribou to Line Creek junction.
      • Requests to have the game postponed by 24 hours were dismissed so officials saw only one option and that was to hire a helicopter to fly him back.
      • The injured boy was flown by helicopter to hospital, where he was treated for multiple bites to the arms and legs.
      • Then in January, Ramsey was flown to Toronto, along with other finalists, for a final round of interviews at the Bank of Montreal's Institute for Learning.
      • Shortly after their birth, the children were flown by helicopter to the world renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for observation and treatment.
      • They are sending a transport aircraft to fly relief to Grand Bahama.
      • Cliff Richard celebrates his 60th birthday in style - he's flying guests in by helicopter to his cruise liner somewhere in the Mediterranean.
      • She commissioned the state helicopter to fly her home when she learned that her baby had a medical emergency.
      • The exiled militants were flown by British military transport to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were they were put up at a seaside hotel under police guard.
      • After his aborted sentencing hearing, he was escorted from the courtroom by his guards and boarded the helicopter to be flown back to his cell.
      • Paramedics had to call out an RAF helicopter to fly a seriously ill baby 200 miles from Rochdale to an intensive care bed in London.
      • They were flown to the capital along with other wounded personnel.
      • He was flown by police helicopter to Hull Royal Infirmary, where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the post from his chest.
      • Jim applied for the job, took a test, and was one of four finalists who were flown out for an interview with Bill.
      • Two other US soldiers were injured and were flown by helicopter back to a field hospital in the capital where they were in a ‘stable’ condition last night.
      • But Naval engineers, based in the Islands, repaired the cross, which was flown back by Chinook helicopter.
      Synonyms
      transport by air, transport by plane, airlift, lift, jet
    4. 1.4with object Accomplish (a purpose) in an aircraft.
      驾机执行（任务）
      pilots trained to fly combat missions

      受训执行作战任务的飞行员。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Tony, who'd flown seven combat missions at the time, hadn't faced many threats.
      • Aid agencies begged for more air transport as a handful of exhausted helicopter crews flew non-stop missions.
      • It was the first time since the Vietnam War that Royal Australian Air Force aircraft have flown close air support missions in support of Australian ground troops in a war zone.
      • During wartime service in the Pacific, he flew fifty-eight combat missions.
      • Other women fly deep combat missions in the Navy and Air Force.
      • He'd flown combat missions in Vietnam and was one of the few aircrew members with combat experience.
      • One RAAF pilot flew two sorties on D-Day alongside his Allied counterparts.
      • Close air support sorties were flown during the ground war, but they were employed beyond the sight of the troops they supported.
      • They went along to keep an eye out for Air Force pilots flying the strike mission.
      • You would be hard pressed to find a young captain or major who hadn't flown combat sorties in the area of operations.
      • I am curious why you used a call sign name to identify a Guard pilot flying homeland defense missions.
      • Brave French airmen who flew missions over their homeland from Britain during the Second World War have been remembered at the Yorkshire Air Museum.
      • In 1944, as a civilian, he flew fifty combat missions in the Pacific theater and shot down one Japanese fighter.
      • He was a skilled pilot who had flown combat missions with the Royal Naval Air Service in World War I.
      • He said his father was also training Peruvian pilots to fly combat missions.
      • It noted that aircraft from Ark Royal and Eagle had flown by then nearly a thousand surveillance sorties.
      • On 17 June, he was flying his third mission of the day and bombing a bridge near Paris.
      • After flying a few missions, Richard showed such talent that he received his own crew and was then a full pilot.
      • They're cheap to run and cost much less than flying real missions.
      • It was a combination of Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots who flew the mission.
    5. 1.5with object Release (a bird) to fly, especially a hawk for hunting or a pigeon for racing.
      放飞（尤指猎鹰或竞飞鸽）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He would go up on to the roof each morning at dawn to fly his beloved birds into the clear sky.
      • It was not the most suitable of places to fly an eagle.
      • He is a great falconer, and has promised to fly his hawks on Friday for my amusement.
      • Captive-bred birds are easy to come by now, but the time needed to look after and fly a bird is still a rare commodity.
      • He was prepared to provide T-bar perches for installation in areas where he regularly flew the birds.

  • 2Move or be hurled quickly through the air.

    在空中快速移动；被快速投掷

    balls kept flying over her hedge

    球不断飞越她的树篱。

    he was sent flying by the tackle

    对方球员的阻截铲球让他腾空而起。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • It was a breezy southwesterly gale which caused overflowing dustbins to be sent flying through the masses.
    • Shards of plastic and even wheels had been sent flying across the street into gardens and hedges.
    • In fact, the impact was so great she felt herself being sent flying through the air.
    • The arrow flew straight to the mark and buried itself into the lion's chest.
    • The farther the ride went, the more speed it picked up and the more things started flying out of the car.
    • A little piece of a pickle came flying out of my mouth and attached itself to his shirt.
    • Errant sparks fly through the air landing on lower branches and underbrush for rapid ignition.
    • The windows on nearby buildings exploded, people were thrown back, and cars were sent flying into nearby buildings.
    • He was sent flying across the room and slammed into the wall.
    • Bullets flew in my direction as I dodged behind the stall.
    • Thank goodness it's a passive recreation area, which means that no soccer balls will come flying into the chanting crowds as soccer in the park is prohibited.
    • "I don't think so, " he said, spittle flying from his mouth.
    • I grunted angrily as we clashed swords, sparks flying off in every direction.
    • ‘Once they got out on to the streets there was so much debris flying around that you cannot tell what happened to everyone,’ she said.
    • Men and bikes were sent flying into the safety fence, but both managed to walk away.
    • Stomping my feet with anger I was about to turn around and go back inside the house when the ball magically came flying over the fence back to my side again.
    • The ball flew into the Cubs' dugout, through the door, and into the adjoining bathroom, bouncing into the toilet bowl.
    • A log on the campfire near us cracked and collapsed, making sparks fly up into the air.
    • Punches were thrown, chairs sent flying, a woman pushed to the floor and spectators in the packed arena sent running for cover, according to reports from the scene.
    • The slower rotation speed reduces the chance of the turbine flying out of it's housing.
    1. 2.1 (of accusations or insults) be exchanged swiftly and heatedly.
      （指责，谩骂）往来激烈
      the accusations flew thick and fast

      双方互相责骂，闹个不停。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • If that weren't enough, the insults and accusations were flying like sand on a pre-school playground.
      • Accusations fly, jeopardizing her long, mostly happy marriage to Ned, a struggling artist.
      • Yet with so many accusations flying, it seems no amount of medical science is going to settle the matter.
      • As Congress tries to wrap up its work, insults are flying.
      • The political insults flying about the place certainly make it feel as though the starting pistol's been fired.
      • And the accusations of sexism keep flying in thick and fast.
      • And as if that was not enough, only last week there were accusations flying that standards among school newcomers were dropping.
      • This led to another huge argument with insults flying from left to right and back again.
      • The guy laughed, and soon enough a torrent of crude jokes and insults were flying around.
      • Accusations are already flying between the German Government, opposition parties, federal ministries and teachers.
      • Accusations flew around that Scott had written the book for the money, and that the leak was a deliberate attempt to gain maximum publicity.
      • Simon was turned down by the residents' committee with accusations flying about who was rudest to who.
      • Vituperative accusations flew back and forth between the two candidates.
      • Shows were cancelled and accusations flew between members of the band as to who was to blame.
      • A lot of allegations are flying at the moment; it is not clear whether they are true, and it is proper to wait for Zuma's trial, when they will be tested.
      • Since the most recent round of devastating fires, the accusations have flown thick and fast.
      • Obviously, as you can imagine, the charges and countercharges are flying fast and furious.
      • More understandably, accusations flew about rail chiefs putting profit before passenger safety.
      • Once again accusations are flying about the lack of consultation over health services.
      • No one is safe as the accusations fly, sides are taken and irreversible decisions are forced to be made.
      • Already accusations are flying that the bid is rigged and fixed and they already know who is going to win.
    2. 2.2 (of a report) be circulated among many people.
      （传闻）迅速传播
      rumors were flying around Chicago

      谣言在曼彻斯特迅速传开。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • This, despite their assertions of moral rectitude, implies that it is hard to make an informed judgment on an issue such as this with so much disinformation flying around.
      • Rumours are currently flying around cyberspace that there might be a further three episodes of Star Wars in the pipeline.
      • Rumours are flying around the place at a rate of knots, everyone is understandably worried.
      • It's been the hot topic of the World Cup, with conspiracy theories flying thick and fast as powerful teams have fallen to lesser soccer countries.
      • There's even a rumour flying around that it might be Manchester City, given Keane's long-standing friendship with Stuart Pearce.
      • With all the rumours that were flying around about the newspaper's feature on the nightclub, I couldn't help myself; I had to get my hands on the article and read it myself.
      • The rumours are flying around the government.
      • The online poll is, of course, completely unscientific, but is it any less so than the exit polls whose numbers are flying around the web?
      • Then yesterday in the mid afternoon text messages began flying around the town that the Alexander The Great star was perched on a bar stool in the Purty Kitchen Pub with some friends.
      • Rumors were flying around that there was all this partying going on, on the ‘Miami Vice’ set.
      • Company commanders have, of course, briefed them, but there's still a lot of other information flying around.
      • Family are divided, there is no consensus, and information flying around differs, so it's hard for people to decide who is right on this one.
      • I think it was important to make clear how it happened, what happened during it, and how it ended, rather than all the speculation and the fabrications that were flying around.
      • Another is that he was a defector and he just wanted to get away from the war, and all of this has been flying around in the last few days, and really no clear sense of what the true story is, is yet to emerge.
      • Judging from all the telephone calls and emails flying around right now among intelligence veterans, the mood is one of disappointment and genuine concern.
      • We have to be mindful of the conspiracy theories flying around the community.
      • ‘That speculation has been flying around for a while now and I've nothing really to add to it,’ said the Rovers chief.
    3. 2.3Baseball with adverbial of direction Hit a ball high into the air.
      〔棒球〕打高飞球
      Gwynn flied to left
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The deciding run, in the fourth inning, came as Crabtree tripled after Longacre fell trying to make the catch and Kurowski flew to right.
      • He was in the outfield when Houston pitcher Bill Greason flew to left.
      • With Wakefield up in the pen yet again as Francona burned through his options, Curt Leskanic came in and got Williams to fly to center to end the inning.
    4. 2.4fly outBaseball (of a batter) be put out by hitting a fly ball that is caught.
      Example sentencesExamples
      • With two men on and one out in the top of the sixth, he got the next two batters to fly out.
      • He pulls everything to right when he's on the money and either strikes out or flies out weakly to left when he's wrong.
      • Spencer is not getting on top of enough pitches and, as a result, is flying out frequently.
      • He came to his senses and struck out Diaz and Lofton and got Vizquel to fly out to left field.

  • 3with adverbial (especially of hair) wave or flutter in the wind.

    （尤指头发）扬起，飘动

    they were running, hair flying everywhere

    他们奔跑着，头发飞扬散乱。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Her hair was blowing freely in the wind and her cloak flew behind her, she felt so free when riding like nothing could touch her and she could do as she pleased.
    • Her hair flew haphazardly behind her as her horse raced against the wind.
    • My hair was flying in the wind with no absolute direction.
    • Her dishevelled hair flew wildly in the wind, framing a bewildered look.
    • She sighed dramatically, her silky black hair flying in the wind as she became increasingly frustrated.
    • My hair flew behind me, the wind whistling through each strand.
    • A sight she looked, with her wind swept hair flying about her.
    • In that touching movie, the hero Tristan often rode a horse, his long hair flying in the wind.
    • We've all seen the image of the person on the motorcycle with her hair flying behind her in the wind.
    • Shaking his head back and forth his hair flew everywhere, hand waving at the side of his head as if he smelled something bad.
    • She and Kristina went out into the square and ran around with their hair flying in the wind.
    • His brown hair flew wildly in the wind, and a smirk played upon his lips.
    • Her long golden brown and auburn hair flew behind her as the wind pushed it back.
    • His eyes shone and his hair was flying wildly in the wind.
    • Hair flying in the wind, she urged her horse towards the high jump and sailed smoothly over the stacked logs.
    • Her black hair flew in the wind and she enjoyed the sheer exhilaration of the ride.
    • The really nasty bikers are easy to spot; they are the ones with long hair flying briskly in the wind, riding really fast.
    • Carried by the elements, the boat comes to life and we ride its bare back, salt spray in our faces, hair flying behind us, gasping with exhilaration.
    • Tears were forming in her bright blue eyes, her long blonde hair flying in the wind, while walking out to the parking lot.
    • The wind caressed my face and my hair flew like a cape behind me.
    Synonyms
    flutter, flap, wave, blow, waft, float, stream
    1. 3.1 (with reference to a flag) display or be displayed on a flagpole.
      （旗）悬挂（尤指在旗杆上）
      flags were flying at half-mast

      旗帜挂在旗杆一半的高度上。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The flag flew from the Post Office - at half mast for the death of any important person.
      • The flag was flying on the flagpole, meaning that Her Majesty was at home.
      • The reception was held in the Manor Court Hotel and the happy couple will reside at Rathnaskillogue where the Kilkenny and Waterford flags have been flying for some weeks.
      • The flag flew from every public building, from every municipal flagpole, and from every structure of consequence in the land.
      • On the Capitol flagpole, the Lone Star flies below the American flag, emblem of the few brief years when slaveholding Texas was its own republic.
      • No one partied harder than the people of Bolton, with flags flying patriotically from flagpoles and bunting between the houses.
      Synonyms
      display, show, exhibit

  • 4usually with adverbial of direction Go or move quickly.

    飞奔，快速移动

    she flew along the path

    她沿路飞奔。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • But she said that the traditional favourite costumes are still flying off the shelves.
    • Luke took Hailey's hand in his, and the two hastily flew down the stairs and out of the lighthouse.
    • The horse flew smoothly along the ground, her muscles moving in perfect synchronization with each other.
    • The book, new to the market, is currently flying off the shelves.
    • She felt her fingertips flying over the fret board.
    • He and I took one look at each other before flying down the stairs.
    • You'll be flying along, and you come around a corner and the weather's totally different from what you left.
    • I can go into a state of zen-like calm and concentration, while my fingers fly across the keyboard.
    • I flew recklessly quickly down the stairs, and ripped my front door open.
    • The tank then flew away at a blistering speed.
    • My fingers were flying over the keyboard, making words and sentences and thoughts.
    • Traffic flies along the A19 and too few motorists adjust to the speed restriction imposed at Thormanby.
    • She came flying out of the bathroom, hands fumbling to attach a backing to an earring.
    • ‘We get lorries and all sorts flying along, and people do not drive for the conditions of the road at all,’ she said.
    • The postal pipe hugs the curb, rivulets of rain on it trembling every time a package flies along it.
    1. 4.1informal Depart hastily.
      〈非正式〉匆忙离去
      I must fly!

      我必须立即离开！

      Example sentencesExamples
      • And they've just put out the second call for our flight, so I must fly…
      • ‘Thank you.’ Claudia stood up. ‘I have to fly! We must get together for dinner soon!’
      • Well, I really must fly, darling. Congratulations on your engagement and I shall see you on Saturday night!
      • We too must fly, so stride briskly over the bridge to Boat Of Garten, from where a steam railway plies its way across the moor to Aviemore, giving another magnificent aspect of the mountains.
      Synonyms
      race, hurry, hasten, flash, dash, dart, rush, shoot, speed, hurtle, streak, really move, spank along, whirl, whizz, go like lightning, go hell for leather, whoosh, buzz, zoom, swoop, blast, charge
    2. 4.2 (of time) pass swiftly.
      （时间）飞逝
      how time flies!

      时间过得真快！

      Example sentencesExamples
      • You'll have so much fun putting a project together that time flies.
      • Another weekend has flown past and Easter is looming up pretty fast again this year.
      • Those long winters on Lewis must have just flown by.
      • How the long winter nights must fly by at Chez Blaine.
      • Our five days in Germany's capital city flew along quickly even though the first week of January is more like an extended siesta period for Germans.
      • Those long winter nights at the Gert household must absolutely fly by.
      Synonyms
      go quickly, fly by, fly past, pass swiftly, slip past, rush past
    3. 4.3archaic Run away; flee.
      those that fly may fight again

      逃跑的人可能再次投入战斗。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • She obtained employment as a servant in several places but was followed up by her husband and uncle, and compelled to fly from one place to another.
      • These people know of my crime; perhaps they will not fly from me, and will only kill me.
      • it was to the English he must have flown for protection, and to them he would naturally have communicated his fears.
      • And now Edward, in his turn, was compelled to fly from the country, and to take refuge with his brother-in-law, the Duke of Burgundy.
      • Yet you did not fly from me, nor did I fly from you: we are innocent towards one another in our unfaithfulness.
      Synonyms
      flee, run, run away, run off, make a run for it, run for it, take flight, be gone, make off, take off, take to one's heels, make a break for it, bolt, beat a retreat, beat a hasty retreat, make a quick exit, make one's getaway, escape, absent oneself, make oneself scarce, abscond, head for the hills, do a disappearing act
    4. 4.4archaic with object Escape from in haste; flee from.
      you must fly the country for a while

      你必须立即离开这个国家一段时间。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Protestants, wherever they could obtain shipping, hasted to fly the country.
      • Regard for you has checked my course towards my leafy home, while duty to my country urges me to fly this place.
      • This is no time for thanks, Mr. Peters, unless it is to the Lord; you must fly the country, and that at once!
      • He was compelled to fly the realm for having murdered a woman with child.
      • Beware of telling any one of our existence; or we must fly this land.
      Synonyms
      run away from, leave abruptly, leave hastily, flee, escape from

  • 5North American informal Be successful.

    〈北美，非正式〉成功

    that idea didn't fly with most other council members

    那主意在理事会大多数的其他成员身上都没奏效。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • This film usually gets great ratings, but it just didn't fly for me.
    • Here's one we prepared earlier on the current state of the art, and presumably if the UK scheme flies it will be along the lines of the US stuff.
    • ‘I don't think this is going to fly at all,’ he said. ‘It’s not going to happen.’
    • If this idea flies, I have no problem in supporting it and finding the ways to make it feasible.
    • It didn't fly with the public. People didn't get it.
nounflīflaɪ

  • 1An opening at the crotch of a pair of pants, closed with a zipper or buttons and typically covered with a flap.

    〈英〉（裤子）前裆开口

    Example sentencesExamples
    • If there's a zipper or button fly, mark the folded edge of the overlap side and use the leg on that side.
    • Boys, nay men, need to remember to wipe the toothpaste from the corners of their mouth, the crumbs from their beards and not to catch their shirts in their flies.
    • Imagine my reaction then as I stumble out of the cupboard buttoning up the flies on my jeans and two secretaries are walking past.
    • Go and try on a pair of Levi's 501s with the original button fly.
    • Perhaps I should turn up late, reeking of red wine and motel sheets, with lipstick on my collar and my flies down.
    • His knees buckle as he automatically checks his flies are fastened, coughs and addresses us, increasingly demented.
    • The Tory could not work out why they were so jovial and even checked his trouser flies to make sure he had not caused the merriment by ‘flying low’.
    • I suppose the male equivalent to these little secrets was flying at half mast, flying low or egg on your face, to indicate undone or untidy trouser flies.
    • Which is always like being caught in public with your fly open and your shirttail sticking through.
    • I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly.
    • Interesting alternatives are Velcro straps or, if the shorts fit perfectly, stylish button flies.
    • These flat-front relaxed chinos have a zipper fly, button tab, inside button, and on-seam pockets.
    • We make boxers with fake flies, no flies, and button flies.
    • He'd haphazardly pulled his tuxedo trousers on, zipping the fly but leaving the button tantalizingly undone.
    1. 1.1 A flap of material covering the opening or fastening of a garment or of a tent.
      （衣服或帐篷开口处的）遮盖，挡帘
      as modifier, in combination a fly-fronted shirt
      Example sentencesExamples
      • After the exterior of the tent's fly dries, remove it and drape it over a bush or tree limb with the interior exposed.
      • We use our ice axes to stake down the fly, but it flaps as violently as a trapped bird.
      • The tent's fly flutters in the wind a little.
      • I do not like how far I have to reach from the inside of the tent to the zip on the fly.

  • 2the fliesThe space over the stage in a theater.

    （剧院）吊景区，悬吊布景的空间

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Also all sorts of bolts of cloth unrolled this way and that or unfurling from the flies, sometimes covering the entire cast, though not for long enough.
    • The National Theatre, with its push-button revolving stage, its sets which came out of the flies or up from the floor, was one of the mechanical wonders of the age.
    • A dancer will be lowered like a window washer, bucket and squeegee in hand, from the flies of the stage.
    • The rest, even while the scenery keeps rising from the floor or descending from the flies, remains unremittingly flat.
    • Suspended from the flies or moving in slow motion, she was a spiritual warrior and her chalked, nude body was her testing ground.

  • 3Baseball

    short for fly ball
    Example sentencesExamples
    • He led off the top of the ninth inning with a high fly down the left field line.
    • In 1941, Williams hit six long flies that drove in a runner from third base.
    • He steals a base up by 10 runs or down by 10, and he's standing on second base by the time his routine fly to center field is caught.
    • In years gone by, if a fielder caught a foul fly while stepping into the dugout, it was ruled a legal catch.
    • This season, he's producing a lot of weak pop flies and grounders.

  • 4British historical A one-horse hackney carriage.

    〈英，史〉单马出租马车

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Just lie down here for a few minutes until I can procure a fly, and I will have you there in a jiffy.
    • He was on a visit to a friend, and met with his death through an accident while riding in a fly.
    • I paid my bill at the hotel, and hired a fly to take me to the town.
    • The season at Solentsea was now past: the parade was gloomy, and the flys were few and cheap.
    • In half a minute the light of the lanterns fell upon a hired fly, drawn by a steaming and jaded horse.

Phrases

  • fly the coop

    • informal Make one's escape.

      〈非正式〉逃跑

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Alan's the eldest and had decided to fly the coop… he had some great friends over there, he was really happy.
      • Eventually, the writers took pity on their tragic hero and Timothy was allowed to fly the coop with his latest girlfriend, Pippa, at the end.
      • She had wanted to take our relationship to the next level and that's always when I fly the coop.
      • After my ex flew the coop, I tied my wedding ring to a helium balloon and let it loose in the wild blue yonder.
      • The meeting was called by a bunch of auditors, so I should have known to fly the coop.
      • As the pressure mounts, rumors circulate that Jim intends to double-cross his old friends and fly the coop.
      • I helped keep track of Zoe last month, I let them know when she flew the coop, and they don't even let me know anything about her!
      • ‘They are flying the coop in search of greener pastures,’ she lamented at a press conference recently.
      • The company today rubbished rumours that its flamboyant founder was flying the coop.
      • Is it just me or don't most people want to fly the coop by the time they hit 20?

  • fly high

    • Be very successful; prosper.

      非常成功；繁荣昌盛

      that young man is the sort to fly high

      那年轻人属于会飞黄腾达的一类。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Emmerdale has been flying high in the TV ratings recently, attracting an audience of almost ten million.
      • Pubs, restaurants and shops at Middlebrook and the rest of the town thrives when the club is flying high.
      • It all means the economy, so long flying high in the clouds, is set for a crash landing, albeit after the next election.
      • The small club have been flying high in the top division.
      • But she is a very happy woman today, seeing her daughter flying high.
      • While Brandon's career is flying high, Courtney insists the action star hasn't changed at all.
      • Tourism was flying high this August Bank Holiday weekend, a year after the foot and mouth crisis threatened a serious dent in the area's economy.
      • The prime minister was flying high in the middle of last year.
      • A young pigeon fancier is flying high after his new hobby saw him racing ahead of the competition.
      • Five air cadets are flying high after winning Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards.
      • As part of its platinum jubilee celebrations, it has planned a series of programmes that would keep the art of India flying high.

  • fly in the face of

    • Be openly at variance with (what is usual or expected)

      悍然不顾；公然违抗

      a need to fly in the face of convention

      公开违反习俗的必要。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘The Home Secretary has chosen to fly in the face of so much compelling evidence that the law needs to be changed,’ said Mr Davis.
      • Of course, that completely flies in the face of what is really happening.
      • This approach may fly in the face of what the public wants.
      • This government continues to fly in the face of not just international opinion, but commonsense and decency.
      • However, at least one of the contributors is an American, which seems to fly in the face of what they are attempting.
      • Miss Lyall said: ‘It was flying in the face of what central government were saying.’
      • It flies in the face of reason and logic to expect such a thing.
      • This flies in the face of what the king's supporters want.
      • This kind of charity flies in the face of all the economic truths that are evident and all the truths we have been told by the government.
      • The idea not only seemed illogical, it also flew in the face of what the Government was trying to achieve in the first place.
      Synonyms
      go against, flout, defy, disobey, refuse to obey, rebel against, thumb one's nose at, disregard, ignore, set one's face against, kick against

  • fly into a rage (or temper)

    • Become suddenly or violently angry.

      勃然大怒

      Example sentencesExamples
      • All I did was stick my tongue out and he flew into a rage.
      • If everything was not perfect he could fly into a rage.
      • AN 18-year-old flew into a rage when he thought his girlfriend was involved with another man.
      • When Teresa refused he flew into a violent rage, and seriously assaulted her.
      • I have met men who can fix a broken kettle or a toaster without flying into a temper and shouting at the kids.
      • She would line all her toys up on the drive and if one was moved would fly into a rage.
      • She suspected her mother would fly into a rage if she asked her this question.
      • A drunken police officer flew into a rage and punched two students when told he had missed his last train home after a Christmas party.
      • Her mother said she didn't believe her, flew into a rage, and threw her out of the house.
      • Ian flew into a rage, vowing never to speak to his younger brother or wife again.

  • fly the nest

    • 1(of a young bird) leave its nest on becoming able to fly.

      （幼鸟）会飞时离巢

      Example sentencesExamples
      • What happens is when they fly the nest the muscles in their wings aren't quite strong enough.
      • The council will now have to wait for the eggs to hatch and the chicks to fly the nest before sending the demolition men back in, unless a bid for a special licence to remove the nest is granted.
      • They have protected the nest since March, and continue to do so now the fledglings are almost ready to fly the nest.
      • The eggs have now hatched into four tiny pied wagtails, and Mr Thompson and his men are waiting for them to fly the nest, so the truck can go back on the road.
      • The nestlings, grey coloured until they get their adult feathers, fly the nest 17-21 days after hatching.
      • Now the three fledglings are taking to the skies every day as they prepare to fly the nest, although they return home to the quarry each night.
      • It is fascinating keeping an eye on them and I look forward to seeing the eggs hatch and the young birds fly the nest.
      1. 1.1informal (of a young person) leave their parents' home to set up home elsewhere.
        〈非正式〉（年轻人）自立门户
        Example sentencesExamples
        • It's not just that he's upset about his kids flying the nest.
        • It wasn't long before she decided to fly the nest and make her way to Paris, where her jobs included modelling, waitressing and learning to cook at the La Varenne school.
        • Admittedly, they are a bit young yet to be flying the nest, and I wasn't intimating that I was especially anxious to be rid of them.
        • So that's another sibling to vacate Southport; another is likely to fly the nest in the not too distant future, even my parents are looking at moving themselves.
        • When he left for university it was his mum that did all the crying, I was pleased for him for flying the nest and making his own way.
        • As a man of almost 70 who has his only two sons still living with him at home at the ages of 38 and 30 and - unfortunately - showing little sign of flying the nest, I would be deliriously happy to have a grandchild.
        • Several changes in her life, including her children flying the nest, have meant that now is the right time for a change.
        • The number of young people in the UK who have yet to fly the nest is still below the European average, and significantly fewer than their counterparts in Italy.
        • Marriages frequently run into trouble under the strain of dealing with rebellious teenagers, or when the children fly the nest.
        • Exasperated parents are handing over thousands of pounds to encourage their grown-up children to fly the nest and take their own first steps on the property ladder.

  • fly off the handle

    • informal Lose one's temper suddenly and unexpectedly.

      〈非正式〉突然发怒

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I became incredibly moody - well, irritable, really - and would behave in a way most unlike me, flying off the handle at the least provocation.
      • I'm sorry if it seems like I'm flying off the handle, but I'm just a bit disturbed and upset right now.
      • I took a deep breath and tried not to fly off the handle.
      • Now 15, he is every bit the troubled teen, picking fights and flying off the handle at his closest friends.
      • I think if you understood the back story of my frustrating relationship with this overpriced garage you might appreciate why I flew off the handle.
      • There are still moments when they fly off the handle, but for the most part they understand that they are safe here.
      • Just because you need to buy a cable in addition to your printer does not give you license to fly off the handle at the sales rep.
      • But touch on anything emotional and Andrew flies off the handle.
      • We can't have him flying off the handle at the slightest provocation but we also need a President who is alert mentally.
      • This issue is personal for me - that's why I'm flying off the handle.
      Synonyms
      lose one's temper, become very angry, fly into a rage, explode, blow up, erupt, lose control, go berserk, breathe fire, begin to rant and rave, flare up, boil over

  • go fly a kite

    • informal in imperativeGo away.

      〈北美，非正式〉走开，滚开

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Franklin wanted the turkey and they told him to go fly a kite.
      • If someone suggests that you should go fly a kite today, it's probably because you've been too intense.
      • And if it attempted to subpoena those documents, the White House would tell it to go fly a kite.
      • The Government has now legislated a convoluted process whereby criminals can profit and victims can go fly a kite.
      • I'm certain it's far beyond your comprehension. Why don't you just go fly a kite?

  • on the fly

    • 1While in motion or progress.

      飞行中，未落地时；进行中

      his deep shot was caught on the fly

      他的远射半途被截。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I have numerous ways that I catch and categorize information on the fly.
      • Mail was picked up on the fly using a catch arm on the side of the car swung out by a Railway Mail Clerk who at the same time kicked off a sack of mail for that place.
      • Workers must be able to access and manage their communications on the fly, and at a moment's notice from anywhere in the world.
      • It is a fantastic note-taking application, which will really aid those constantly collecting data on the fly.
      • She's able to do a translation on the fly and read the email to you in seamless English.
      • This is not so much a carelessly structured story as a story made up on the fly.
      • I ask you: who's speaking his heart, and who's crafting a response on the fly trying to cover all bases?
      • Are your adventures carefully planned out in several notebooks, or done on the fly?
      • The rap against him is he makes mistakes in coverage and has trouble adjusting on the fly.
      1. 1.1During the running of a computer program without interrupting the run.
        〔计算机〕程序运行期间，不中断程序运行
        Example sentencesExamples
        • This will provide instant access to company data in documents created on screen on the fly.
        • Most of the pages are generated on the fly through a database query.
        • Graphical charts can be generated on the fly from this data or generated as static pages at scheduled intervals.
        • Volumes of storage can be allocated to application servers on the fly, without interrupting operation.
        • The tests even simulate how networks make bandwidth and other changes on the fly.

Phrasal Verbs

  • fly at

    • 1Attack (someone) verbally or physically.

      （口头，身体）攻击

      Robbie flew at him, fists clenched

      罗比双拳紧握，对他猛打猛捶。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • She flew at her father, beating him.
      • But springing back up, the teen didn't even miss a beat before he was flying at Greg again, fist raised for the attack.
      • Diana's eyes popped open and in a mindless rage she flew at him, beating her fists on everything she could reach.
      • Before I can even think about it, I fly at him, with the express purpose of attacking him and leaving him nothing less than a non-breathing entity.
      • Malcolm hadn't moved an inch, even as I'd been flying at him.
      • She is locked up after flying at John Reed who beat her.
      • She flew at one of the attackers.
      Synonyms
      attack, assault, make an assault on, launch an attack on, pounce on, set upon, set about, launch oneself at, weigh into, let fly at, turn on, round on, lash out at, hit out at, strike out at, beset, belabour, fall on, accost, mug, charge, rush, storm
      1. 1.1(of a hawk) pursue and attack, or habitually pursue (prey).
        （鹰）追逐并扑向；习惯性追逐（猎物）
        Example sentencesExamples
        • He compared the actions of parliament to a hawk flying at a covey of partridge.
        • Suddenly the hawk flies at something a long way off. It's a squirrel running on the ground.
      2. 1.2Send a hawk to pursue and attack (prey).
        放鹰追捕（猎物）
        Example sentencesExamples
        • I love better to fly a hawk at a heron, or to crush a cup with a friend, than. listen to their droning chants and their dull sermons.
        • Training and flying a hawk at prey species is what falconry is all about.
        • The Emperor himself living in a wooden house, his exercise only flying a hawk at pigeons.
        • He let fly a hawk at some game.
        • For a time I flew a hawk at ducks on certain small ponds about a quarter hour's drive from my laboratory.

Origin

Old English flēogan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vliegen and German fliegen, also to fly.

fly2

nounflīflaɪ

  • 1A flying insect of a large order characterized by a single pair of transparent wings and sucking (and often also piercing) mouthparts. Flies are noted as vectors of disease.

    苍蝇。参见DIPTERA

    Order Diptera: numerous families

    See also Diptera
    Example sentencesExamples
    • She batted at the flies with her gloved hand and sighed.
    • They had a telescope where you could see a fly on a chimney from 300 feet away.
    • Failing to cover body wastes in open latrines promoted the spread of disease by flies.
    • They spend their days empty bellied and covered with a swarm of flies.
    • Manure stored in silo-type storage units may crust on the top, but cracks allow flies to deposit eggs in wet material below the crust.
    • The caterers spent the entire time flapping their arms in a furious, but futile attempt to discourage the flies.
    • The adult female fly lays her eggs in moist decaying animal and plant wastes.
    • The right wings of flies were removed using fine forceps and mounted on microscope slides using double-sided tape.
    • The picture was so sharp I could see the flies buzzing around the animals.
    • The wind blew the row cover off the seed bed leaving the tender young radishes exposed to the flies.
    • There were also winged salamanders feasting on flying insects such as flies and mosquitoes.
    • The mature larva emerges from the wound in six to 12 weeks, falls to the ground, and pupates into adult flies in about 30 days.
    • Almost 40 years ago Ed Lewis discovered a remarkable fly that differs from an ordinary fly by one extra pair of wings.
    • Spiders, she has reasoned correctly, are the natural predators of flies.
    • Sensitive hairs on their bodies send data directly to the wings, so these flies can take off the instant motion is detected.
    • Insects, especially beetles, caterpillars, moths, and flies, are the most common prey.
    • I stayed near the opening where a small swarm of flies buzzed about outside.
    • A single fly was placed on the platform, and placidly stayed there, motionless, until the test stimulus was presented.
    • On the up side, with the arrival of the rain came the departure of the flies.
    • Raw and cooked food should always be kept and handled separately, and all food should be kept covered and out of the way of flies!
    1. 1.1usually in combination Used in names of flying insects of other orders, e.g. butterfly, dragonfly, firefly.
      用于有翅昆虫名称中，如butterfly，dragonfly和firefly
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The scientists say similar decoys can be tailor-made for other insect pests closely related to the apple maggot fly.
      • The horn fly, Haematobia irritans, is probably the most important economically damaging ectoparasite of grazing cattle.
      • The female gall fly lays her eggs in young buds, causing the plant to form galls.
      • Donald Feener is an ecologist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City who studies the relationship between parasitic flies and ants.
      • The Old World hunter fly seemingly enjoys a challenge.
      • After a while I became quite good at spotting tsetse flies in the bungalow.
      • Why did the common name fruit fly supersede vinegar or pomace fly?
      • A large lantern insect, the mealy fly is a sucking bug.
      • These are visited by a diverse array of animals, including bees, hawk moths, beetles, butterflies, long-tongued flies, hummingbirds and bats.
      • The same is true of tsetse flies that bring sleeping sickness to animals.
      • This diminutive wasp is a powerful natural enemy of the melon fly.
      • In the garden dill attracts beneficial insects, including bees, parasitic wasps and tachinid flies.
    2. 1.2 An infestation of flying insects on a plant or animal.
      （植物或动物的）蝇类虫害，虫害
      cattle to be treated for warble fly

      要治皮蝇虫害的牛。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Some of the young bulbs on the lower deck are still green and you have to be alert for green fly.
      • The Mock Orange bush has a bad case of black fly already, and the rose bush has greenfly.
      • Where Mediterranean fruit fly is a potential problem, bait should be laid six weeks before picking.
    3. 1.3 A natural or artificial flying insect used as bait in fishing, especially a mayfly.
      （作钓饵用的）蝇，假蝇（尤指蜉蝣或蜉蝣状钓饵）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Although many game anglers tie their own flies, very few bother to make their own fly rods.
      • Lee not only produces flies commercially but also provides fly tying materials.
      • Jimmy has tied flies for international fishing teams.
      • Big perch can be taken on flies, spinners and plugs and in some areas there are big roach.
      • Additionally, I do not like my flies too bulky and find that two strands of herl would be the most that I ever use.
      • There seems to be a culture that now associates using artificial lures and flies with the need to conserve our stocks for the future.
      • Then as I retrieved it slowly, I could see a good rainbow following in the wake of the fly.
      • After all, he drove to the Big Hole in an automobile, fished with a fiberglass rod, and tied flies with synthetic materials.
      • I wound in all my line, clipped off the fly, stowed the rod away and sat down in my padded seat.
      • In fact, it was Victorian fly fishermen, not scientists, who first studied these insects closely in order to imitate them with artificial flies.
      • It was taken on a light trout rod at Beat 4 by Dutch angler Ulrich Treusch, who was using one of his own fly tying - a fly named the Morbun Special.
      • And, then, there are those things that give fly fishing its name - the flies.
      • Take the advice of local anglers for choice of flies and small popping plugs.
      • The best flies are streamers, those big creations that imitate bait fish or large nymphs.
      • The artificial fly represents a food item be it insect, crustacean or smaller fish.
      • I use knotless tapered leaders but after attaching a few flies I tie in some tippet material when needed.
      • For early season use most anglers tend to fish the flies deeper and so use heavier hooks.
      • These flies may have brightly coloured bodies or long hackles and we can only guess at what the trout think they are.
      • It doesn't seem to have any stretch which helps set the hook when your fishing deep with very big flies.
      • Unlike in trout fishing, where an artificial fly is used, anglers hunting pike tend to go for bait such as small fish.

Phrases

  • die (or drop) like flies

    • Die or collapse in large numbers.

      大量地死（或倒下）

      people in the area seemed to die like flies in the winter

      这个地区冬天大量死人。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The fine animals that had endured the hellish voyage out from Britain died like flies from cold and sheer starvation.
      • Imagine you are being attacked from every angle, and your troops and vehicles are dropping like flies.
      • My friends and classmates are dropping like flies, following me into the realm of living death.
      • It saddens me at the end of every semester to see my dance mates dropping like flies because of injuries.
      • They say that if these farmers are forced out of unproductive farming because of globalisation, then they will die like flies.
      • Only a few days ago I was feeling smug about not coming down with anything even though my workmates were dropping like flies.
      • Inmates are dropping like flies and being taken for emergency medical treatment.
      • When people are dropping like flies in plagues and epidemics, some actually recover, while others in their midst remain unscathed.
      • Do you mean to tell me that they are just going to sit there while people continue to drop like flies and offer no solutions?
      • Children died like flies in those conditions.

  • a fly in the ointment

    • A minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of something.

      美中不足之处；令人扫兴的小事

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The only fly in the ointment is the difficulty in getting good-sized crowds through the turnstiles.
      • The fly in the ointment will be if there are major planning hold-ups.
      • The fly in the ointment for City fans is that if Spurs win their final game they could edge out both teams
      • There is one fly in the ointment with Morris' plan - we don't have the money to do it.
      • The fly in the ointment for the Democrats, as reflected in this poll, is that they still don't have a candidate.
      • Am feeling fairly chilled at the moment - the only fly in the ointment at the moment is that Mum is coming to visit tomorrow
      • Yes, don't you know I'm going to throw a fly in the ointment?
      • Needless to say there is a bureaucratic fly in the ointment.
      • There is, of course, one fly in the ointment, and that is the fact that space exploration costs money.
      • But there was still a tiny fly in the ointment - the sticky issue of which parent would gain custody of the kids in the unfortunate event of divorce.
      Synonyms
      snag, hitch, catch, drawback, difficulty, problem, weakness, defect, pitfall, complication

  • fly on the wall

    • 1An unnoticed observer of a particular situation.

      未被察觉的观察者

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Women are born with the instinctive knowledge that men would love to snoop on our lunch conversations, or be a fly on the wall when we nip to the ladies for a little light synchronised nose-powdering.
      • Oh, to be a fly on the wall during all these discussions.
      • They will report back in six months with their recommendations, but, oh, to be a fly on the wall as this little lot get around the table.
      • I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in last week's Cabinet meeting.
      • He reveals details of boardroom machinations and backstairs skirmishes which only a fly on the wall could have witnessed.
      • Should we be a fly on the wall, monitoring the conversations back and forth?
      • I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.
      • Most contemporary memoirs leave you feeling cheap, like you've been a fly on the wall at a particularly horrific therapy session.
      • If you were a fly on the wall at last Wednesday's annual general meeting in Limerick you could not fail to have been impressed by the way he withstood heckling from farmer shareholders.
      • It is very disconcerting to be a fly on the wall as a band figures out what musical style best suits them (something that is generally determined before the studio album is recorded).
      Synonyms
      observer, spectator, onlooker, watcher, looker-on, viewer, witness, eyewitness
      1. 1.1as modifierDenoting a filmmaking technique whereby events are observed realistically with minimum interference rather than acted out under direction.
        （电影拍摄技术）实地拍摄
        a fly-on-the-wall documentary

        实地拍摄的纪录片。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • This is a ‘fly on the wall’ film in which we get to see the 3 band members in all their true colours.
        • You take a very fly-on-the-wall approach which allows the viewer to form their own opinions.
        • The English actor detests reality TV, but admits he may have to appear in a fly-on-the-wall show if his acting career dries up.
        • Does anyone remember that fly on the wall documentary on channel 4 where some teenage kids looked after real children?
        • I get increasingly exasperated by TV - cookery, gardening, soaps and fly on the wall documentaries all irritate me.
        • It's a simple premise - a fly on the wall documentary in a London beauty salon.
        • This spoof, fly on the wall, documentary is funny, scary, provocative, disturbing and has a real point to make.

  • wouldn't hurt (or harm) a fly

    • (of a person or animal) inoffensive and harmless.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Phyllis was really nice - she wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • I never really knew what kind of dog he was exactly, I just knew that he was a good dog and wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • While I'm a passive guy and wouldn't harm a fly, I did have the sudden urge to blow something up real good.
      • He was always kind to everyone and he literally wouldn't harm a fly.
      • She had loads of friends and wouldn't hurt a fly.
      • Yet, when people meet the man, they find that he is funny, genial, witty and charming and seemingly wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone drive a rival out of business.
      • In the witness box he looked like a frail, old man, the type who wouldn't hurt a fly, with always a pleasant word for the neighbours.
      • A close friend, who did not want to be named, today described Lorrie as a ‘lovely, shy man who had a heart of gold and wouldn't hurt a fly’.
      • He wouldn't harm a fly, but his depression seems to have twisted his mind.
      • He's a full bred Staffordshire Bullpit Rottweiler, and though he occasionally chews the bottom of the backdoor off, he's a harmless and lovable creature that wouldn't hurt a fly.

  • you (can) catch more flies with honey than (with) vinegar

    • proverb It is more effective to be polite and flattering than to be hostile or demanding.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • You're making bald accusations against him, but you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, you know.
      • I have no reason to believe that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" doesn't apply to politics.
      • Whoever said you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar had no clue.
      • The government's subdued reaction to the case is just another case where you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
      • She sought to be less confrontational under the assumption that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
      • I accepted her criticisms, recognizing that I would probably catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
      • Someone should teach them that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
      • Her thesis in this piece appears to be that female academics ought to be using their wiles to confront inequality because "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".
      • So what's wrong with a book whose basic message is: you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?

Origin

Old English flȳge, flēoge, denoting any winged insect, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieg and German Fliege, also to fly.

fly3

adjectiveflaɪflī
informal

  • 1North American Stylish and fashionable.

    〈北美〉时尚的，流行的

    they were wearin' fly clothes

    他们穿着时尚。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Ryan's a super fly dude.
    • Anyone can be fly, race has no bearing on who is fly and who is not.
    • Babs wants to know if her romance with the fly guy she met last year is for keeps.
    • If your neighbor's got a fly crib or a pimped-out set of wheels, that's their business, not yours.
    • I was looking for the fly stuff, and I don't mean fishing gear.

  • 2British Knowing and clever; worldly-wise.

    〈英〉机灵的，善于处世的

    she's fly enough not to get done out of it

    她很机灵，不会被淘汰。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Never in the history of nannies has there been a more fly nanny than Julie Andrews.
    • I would ask you to bear in mind that Broome is a very fly and slippery character.
    • I'm too fly to admit anything to youse guys.
    • This sort of manoeuvre must have been what one shadow cabinet colleague had in mind when he privately described the politician as ‘an extremely fly operator’.
    Synonyms
    shrewd, sharp, astute, acute, canny, worldly-wise, knowing, clever, sharp-witted, quick-witted, nimble-witted, wily

Origin

Early 19th century: of unknown origin.

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