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Definition: Fly |
FlyAdjective1. (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked. Noun1. Two-winged insects characterized by active flight. 2. Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent. 3. An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or buttons concealed by a fold of cloth. 4. (baseball) a hit that flies high in the air. 5. Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect. Verb1. Travel through the air; be airborne; "Man cannot fly". 2. Move quickly or suddenly; "He flew about the place". 3. Fly a plane. 4. Transport by aeroplane; "We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America". 5. Cause to fly or float: "fly a kite". 6. Be dispersed or disseminated; "Rumors and accusations are flying". 7. Change quickly from one emotional state to another: "fly into a rage". 8. Pass away rapidly; "Time flies like an arrow"; "Time fleeing beneath him". 9. Travel in an airplane; "she is flying to Cincinnati tonight"; "Are we driving or flying?". 10. : display in the air or cause to float: "fly a kite"; "All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N.". 11. : to run away: "He threw down his gun and fled.". 12. : travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft; "Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic". 13. : hit a fly, in baseball. 14. : decrease rapidly, as of money. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "fly" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
Note: Fly \Fly\ (fl[imac]), intransitive verb [imperfect Flew(fl[=u]); past participle Flown(fl[=o]n); Flying.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | FLY-:SPECK:, n. The prototype of punctuation. It is observed by Garvinus that the systems of punctuation in use by the various literary nations depended originally upon the social habits and general diet of the flies infesting the several countries. These creatures, which have always been distinguished for a neighborly and companionable familiarity with authors, liberally or niggardly embellish the manuscripts in process of growth under the pen, according to their bodily habit, bringing out the sense of the work by a species of interpretation superior to, and independent of, the writer's powers. The "old masters" of literature -- that is to say, the early writers whose work is so esteemed by later scribes and critics in the same language -- never punctuated at all, but worked right along free-handed, without that abruption of the thought which comes from the use of points. (We observe the same thing in children to-day, whose usage in this particular is a striking and beautiful instance of the law that the infancy of individuals reproduces the methods and stages of development characterizing the infancy of races.) In the work of these primitive scribes all the punctuation is found, by the modern investigator with his optical instruments and chemical tests, to have been inserted by the writers' ingenious and serviceable collaborator, the common house-fly -- Musca maledicta. In transcribing these ancient MSS, for the purpose of either making the work their own or preserving what they naturally regard as divine revelations, later writers reverently and accurately copy whatever marks they find upon the papyrus or parchment, to the unspeakable enhancement of the lucidity of the thought and value of the work. Writers contemporary with the copyists naturally avail themselves of the obvious advantages of these marks in their own work, and with such assistance as the flies of their own household may be willing to grant, frequently rival and sometimes surpass the older compositions, in respect at least of punctuation, which is no small glory. Fully to understand the important services that flies perform to literature it is only necessary to lay a page of some popular novelist alongside a saucer of cream-and-molasses in a sunny room and observe "how the wit brightens and the style refines" in accurate proportion to the duration of exposure. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
19th Century Satire | A familiar summer boarder who mingles with the cream of society, gets stuck on the butter and leaves his specs behind. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Bible | Fly Heb. zebub, (Eccl. 10:1; Isa. 7:18). This fly was so grievous a pest that the Phoenicians invoked against it the aid of their god Baal-zebub (q.v.). The prophet Isaiah (7:18) alludes to some poisonous fly which was believed to be found on the confines of Egypt, and which would be called by the Lord. Poisonous flies exist in many parts of Africa, for instance, the different kinds of tsetse. Heb. 'arob, the name given to the insects sent as a plague on the land of Egypt (Ex. 8:21-31; Ps. 78:45; 105:31). The LXX. render this by a word which means the "dog-fly," the cynomuia. The Jewish commentators regarded the Hebrew word here as connected with the word _'arab_, which means "mingled;" and they accordingly supposed the plague to consist of a mixed multitude of animals, beasts, reptiles, and insects. But there is no doubt that "the _'arab_" denotes a single definite species. Some interpreters regard it as the Blatta orientalis, the cockroach, a species of beetle. These insects "inflict very painful bites with their jaws; gnaw and destroy clothes, household furniture, leather, and articles of every kind, and either consume or render unavailable all eatables." Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Fine Arts | To hang scenery. . . above the stage by means of lines. . . so that it may be raised into the flies. . . or lowered into view. Source: European Union. (references) |
Industry | Waste fibres that fly out into the atmosphere during carding, drawing, spinning, and other processes. Source: European Union. (references) |
Literature | Fly (plural flys). A hackney coach, a cab. A contraction of Fly-by-night, as sedan chairs on wheels used to be called in the regency. These "Fly-by-nights," patronised greatly by George, Prince of Wales, and his boon companions, during their wild night pranks at Brighton, were invented 1809 by John Butcher, a carpenter of Jew Street. "In the morning we took a fly, an English term for an exceedingly sluggish vehicle, and drove up to the Minister's." - Hawthorne: Our Old House (Pilgrimage to Old Boston, p.171). Fly (plural flies). An insect. All flies shall perish except one, and that is the bee-fly. (Koran.) A Fly has three eyes and two compound eyes, each of which has 4,000 facets. The god of flies. In the temple of Actium the Greeks used to sacrifice annually an ox to the god of flies. Pliny tells us that at Rome sacrifice was offered to flies in the temple of Hercules Victor. The Syrians undoubtedly offered sacrifice to the same tiny tormentors. It is said that no fly was ever seen in Solomon's temple. ACHOR, god of the Cyrenians, to whom, according to Pliny, they offered sacrifice. (APOMYIOS, a surname given by the Cyrenians to Zeus, for delivering Herakles [Hercules] from flies during sacrifice. Sacrifices were yearly offered to Zeus Apomyios. (Greek, apo-myia, from flies.) BELZEBUB or BEELZEBUTH (Prince of Flies) was one of the principal Syrian gods, to whom sacrifice was offered on all ferialia. BUCLOPUS, in Roman mythology. (Rhod. xxii. 3.) MYAGROS (the fly-chaser), one of the deities of the Arcadians and Eleans. (Pliny, x. 28.) (Greek, myia a fly; agra, taken in hunting or chasing.) Flies in amber. (See under Amber.) To crush a fly on a wheel. Making a mountain of a mole-hill. Taking a wheel used for torturing criminals and heretics for killing a fly, which one might destroy with a flapper. Fly on the coach-wheel (A). One who fancies himself of mighty importance, but who is in reality of none at all. The allusion is to the fable of a fly sitting on a chariot-wheel and saying, "See what a dust we make!" Not a fly with him. Domitian, the Roman emperor, was fond of catching flies, and one of his slaves, being asked if the emperor was alone, wittily replied, "Not a fly with him." To rise to the fly. To be taken in by a hoax, as a fish rises to a false fly and is caught. "He [the professor] rose to the fly with a charming simplicity." - Grant Allen: The Mysterious Occurrence in Piccadilly, part ii. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Slang | Adjective. Source: In relation to this context of fly the act of flying is an aerial act that is "above" everything else. . Definition: Individual or thing that seems good, attractive. Context: In contact with another individual or individuals. Social Source: UC Thugs. Source: Compiled by The University of Oregon. (additional references) |
Slang in 1811 | FLY. Knowing. Acquainted with another's meaning or proceeding. The rattling cove is fly; the coachman knows what we are about. FLY. A waggon. CANT. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Tips from 1870 | Usage: Fly, Flee. In a general sense fly is applied to winged creatures and flee to persons. "What exile from himself can flee?" "When the swallows homeward fly." The past tense forms are sometimes confused, as, "The inhabitants flew to the fort for safety," "The wild geese have all fled to the South." The principal parts of the verbs are: Present. Past. Perf. part. fly, flew, flown. flee, fled, fled. The verbs flew and fled in the foregoing sentences should be transposed. Fly implies motion either from or toward. Flee implies motion from. Fly may be used, in a figurative sense, of persons, to indicate great speed as of wings. "I flew to his rescue." "He flew to my rescue." "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The word flown is sometimes used erroneously as the past tense or perfect participle of the verb flow. The parts of this verb are flow, flowed, flowed. "The river has overflowed (not overflown) its banks." Usage: Fish, Fly. The plural of fish is fishes when considered individually, and fish when considered collectively. "My three pet fishes feed out of my hand." "Six barrels of fish were landed from the schooner." Most words ending in y change this termination into ies, as duties, cities, etc. The plural of fly, the insect, is formed in the usual manner, but fly, a light carriage, adds s; as, "Six flys carried the guests to their homes." Source: Slips of Speech. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A separate article is about the movie Airplane.
An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight.
An Airbus A340 of SriLankan Airlines. This is a wide-bodied long-haul aircraft, with 24 Business Class seats and 288 Economy Class seats.
Larger version
A hot air balloon seen from nearly directly below. The burner flame is firing into the envelope.
Larger version
Bell 206B Jet Ranger III helicopter
Larger version
Two categories
Aircraft fall into two broad categories:See also: List of aviation, aerospace and aeronautical terms
- Heavier than air aerodynes, including autogyros, helicopters and variants, and conventional fixed-wing aircraft: aeroplanes in Commonwealth English, airplanes in North American English.
Fixed-wing aircraft generally use an internal-combustion engine and propeller or jet engine to provide thrust, which moves the craft forward through the air. The movement of air over the wings produces lift, which allows the aircraft to fly. Exceptions are gliders which have no engines and gain their thrust from gravity. That is, in order to maintain their forward speed they must descend in relation to the air (but not necessarily in relation to the ground). Helicopters and autogyros use a spinning rotor (a rotary wing) to provide both lift and thrust. The abbreviation VTOL is applied to aircraft other than helicopters that can take off or land vertically. Similarly, STOL stands for Short Take Off and Landing.
- Lighter than air aerostats: balloons and airships. Aerostats float in air in the same way that a ship floats in water, by displacing the air around the craft with a lighter gas (helium or hydrogen), or hot air. The distinction between a balloon and an airship is that an airship has some means of controlling forward motion and steering while balloons simply drift with the wind.
There are several ways to classify aircraft. Below, we describe classifications by design, propulsion and usage.
Also see this list of articles on particular aircraft types, and this list of aircraft.
Types of aircraft
By design
A first division by design among aircraft is between lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air aircraft.Examples of lighter-than-air aircraft include non-steerable balloons, such as hot air balloons and gas balloons, and airships (sometimes called dirigible balloons), such as blimps (which have a non-rigid construction) and rigid airships, which have a rigid frame. The best-known type of rigid airship is the Zeppelin.
In heavier-than-air aircraft, we can discern two major ways to produce the lift: aerodynamic lift and engine lift. In the case of aerodynamic lift, the aircraft is kept in the air because of aerodynamics, usually by means of wings of some kind. With engine lift, the aircraft defeats gravity by sheer engine power.
Examples of engine lift aircraft are rockets, and so-called VTOL planes, such as the Hawker Harrier.
Among aerodynamically lifted aircraft, the largest number falls in the category of fixed-wing aircraft, where horizontal surfaces produce lift, by profiting from the Coanda effect (aeroplane or airplane).
In a "conventional" configuration, the lift surfaces are placed in front of a control surface or tailplane. The number of lift surfaces varied greatly in the pre-1950 period, as biplanes (two wings) and triplanes (three wings) were numerous in the early days of aviation. Subsequently most planes are monoplanes.
The reverse configuration is the canard type, where small horizontal control surfaces are placed forward of the wings, near the nose of the aircraft.
Other possibilities include the delta-wing, where lift and horizontal control surfaces are combined, and the flying wing, where there is no separate vertical control surface (e.g. the B-2). A variable geometry ('swing-wing') has also been employed in a few examples of combat aircraft (the F-111, Panavia Tornado, and B-1 Lancer, among others).
The lifting body configuration where the body itself produce lift has been tested. So far the only significant practical application of the lifting body was in the Space Shuttle.
A second large category of aerodynamically lifted aircraft are the rotary-wing aircraft. Here, the lift is provided by rotating rotors. The best-known examples of this category are the helicopter, the earlier autogyro, and the tiltrotor aircraft (such as the V-22 Osprey).
A further category might encompass the wing-in-ground-effect types, for example the Russian ekranoplan, also nicknamed the "Caspian Sea Monster" and hovercraft, most of the latter employing a skirt and achieving limited ground or water clearance to reduce friction and achieve speeds above those achieved by boats of similar weight.
And finally, the flapping-wing ornithopter is a category of its own. These designs may have considerable potential but are not yet practical.
By propulsion
Some types of aircraft, such as the balloon or glider, do not have any propulsion. Balloons drift with the wind. For gliders, takeoff takes place from a high location, or the aircraft is pulled into the air by a ground-based winch or vehicle, or towed aloft by a powered "tug" aircraft.
Most early aircraft used a piston-engine with propeller as propulsion. Although the configuration of the engine can vary (rotary, radial, inline), they all work according to the same principles.
Just prior to World War II, the first jet engines emerged. Different types exist, such as the ramjet, pulse jet, turbojet, and the turboprop, the latter of which still uses a propeller.
By usage
Three major uses for aircraft may be seen: recreational, military, and commercial.
For recreation, almost any type of aircraft can be used, although they are usually small ones. Gliders and balloons are used almost exclusively for recreational purposes although they have been used in times of war in the past. For instance, balloons were used for observation in the American Civil War and World War I. Gliders were used to deliver troops into occupied territory during World War II.
The first widespread use of military aircraft was for reconnaissance and surveillance in World War I. Soon they were adapted for attacking the ground or enemy vehicles/ships/guns/aircraft as well, and the first bombers were born. In order to prevent the enemy from bombing, fighter aircraft were developed to intercept and shoot down enemy aircraft.
Eventually, two-seat trainers were developed for the purpose of instructing new pilots. The use of transport aircraft enabled the rapid movement of supplies, ammunition, cargo, troops and also casualty evacuation; transport aircraft were also used to drop paratroopers. Tankers are used to refuel planes in mid-air, thus increasing their operational range.
Commercial aviation can be divided in passenger transport and cargo transport. For the former, large planes have been developed that can transport up to 500 passengers over large distances. Commercial cargo aircraft are often similar to military transport aircraft, or might be adapted from the passenger fleets of an earlier era.
Other uses include search-and-rescue operations (especially by helicopters), border protection and water-bombing (fire-fighting). Further divisions can be drawn between aircraft designs having a conventional (wheeled) undercarriage, and amphibious floatplanes or flying boats.
Related topics
- Aerial refueling
- Aeronautics
- Aircraft carrier
- Aircraft manufacturers
- Aircraft spotting
- Airline call signs
- Airliner
- Aviation
- Bomber
- Contrail
- Fighter aircraft
- Jet engine
- Karl Jatho
- Lifting body
- Military aircraft
- Model aircraft
- Sir George Cayley
- Spacecraft propulsion
- Spacecraft
- Successful aircraft types
- Undercarriage
- Wright brothers
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Aircraft."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Flag illustrations generally depict flags flying from the observer's point of view from left to right, the view known as the obverse. Animals and beasts should always appear with the heads facing the flag-staff side.Some countries use a single flag design as a national flag for all purposes. Other countries may use two or more flags for different purposes but all serving as the national flags. Vexillologists categorise such flags as:
- Civil Ensign - Flown on private vessels (fishing craft, cruise ships, yachts, etc).
- State Ensign - Flown on unarmed government vessels.
- War Ensign - Flown on warships.
- Civil Flag - Flown by citizens on land.
- State Flag - Flown on public buildings.
- War Flag - Flown on military buildings.
Description of standard flag areas:
- Canton - upper left quarter of the flag, such as the field of stars in the Flag of the United States.
- Fly - right half of the flag.
- Hoist - left half of the flag.
- Length - span of flag from right edge to left edge.
- Width - span of flag from top edge to bottom edge.
Basic Patterns in Flags
(the following is an animated gif, and will change to 7 variations in flag design)
Techniques in Flag display
- Hoist - the act or function of raising a flag, as on a rope.
- Half Staff - a style of flag display in which the flag is hoisted to half of the potential height of the availble flag pole. This usually denotes distress or a show of grief, such as mourning a death.
- Half Mast - same as Half Staff. the use of 'mast' suggests naval use. But typically the two terms are interchangeable.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Flag terminology."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Flight is the process of flying: either movement through the air by aerodynamically generating lift or aerostatically using buoyancy, or movement beyond Earth's atmosphere by spacecraft.
Animal flight
The most successful groups of living things that fly are insects, birds, and bats. Each of these groups' wings evolved separately from different structures.
Pterosaurs were a group of flying vertebrates contemporaneous with the dinosaurs.
All bats fly, and bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. However, there are several gliding mammals which are able to volplane from tree to tree by making use of fleshy membranes between their limbs: some can travel hundreds of metres in this way with very little loss of height. Flying tree frogs use greatly enlarged webbed feet for a similar purpose, and there are flying lizards which employ their unusually wide, flattened rib-cages to the same end.
Flying fish can glide using enlarged wing-like fins, and have been observed soaring for hundreds of metres using the updraft on the leading edges of waves. It is thought that they evolved this ability to help them escape from underwater predators.
Most birds fly, with some notable exceptions. The largest birds, the ostrich and the emu, are earthbound, as were the now-extinct dodos, while the non-flying penguins have adapted their wings for use under water. Most small flightless birds are native to relatively small islands, and lead a lifestyle such that flight confers little advantage and involves substantial costs.
Among the millions of species of insects, many do not fly.
Among living animals that fly, the wandering albatross has the greatest wingspan, up to 3.5 metres (11.5 feet), and the trumpeter swan perhaps the greatest weight, 17 kilograms (38 pounds).
Fictional: Dumbo, the flying elephant.
Mechanical flight
Flying machines are aircraft, including aeroplanes, helicopters, airships and balloons, and spacecraft.
In the case of an aeroplane flight involves
The same applies for other flying machines and flying animals, except for the taxiing.
- Taxiing
- Take off
- Climb
- Cruise
- Descent
- Landing
See also
- aviation,
- aircraft,
- visual flight,
- Visual Flight Rules,
- Instrument_flight_rules,
- public transport service numbering,
- ornithopter.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Flight."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Larger medflyA fly (plural flies) is any species of insect of the order Diptera, some of which land on food and transmit bacteria to humans. Other flies bite. The larva of a fly is commonly called a maggot.
Maggots
Some maggots which eat dead, but not live, flesh have been used medicinally, being introduced into wounds to clean them. Other maggots, such as the screwworm, eat live flesh.The type of maggots found on a corpse can be used by forensic scientists to give an indication of the time elapsed since, and place of, death.
Maggots are a popular bait in angling, and a food for carnivourous pets such as reptiles or birds.
Fly- like insects
The word "fly" also refers to insects of various other orders:
- firefly - Coleoptera:Lampyridae
- caddis fly - Trichoptera
- dragonfly and damselfly, Odonata
- butterfly - Lepidoptera
- stonefly - Plecoptera
- mayfly - Ephemeroptera
- sawfly - Hymenoptera:Tenthredinidae
- scorpionfly and Hangingfly - Mecoptera
- alderfly, Dobsonfly, and Fishfly - Megaloptera
Other meanings
A fly is a lure, used in angling, with materials such as feathers or cotton thread, tied to look like a real fly.
To fly is to travel through air, like a bird or aeroplane, or to travel on or pilot an aircraft.
Flies in trousers are a zipped or buttoned opening, desined to allow men ease of access when urinating.
Flies in a theatre are a hidden storage area over the stage from which scenery descends.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Fly."
Synonyms: FlySynonyms: fly ball (n), fly front (n), fly sheet (n), tent flap (n), tent-fly (n), aviate (v), fell (v), flee (v), pilot (v), take flight (v), vanish (v), wing (v). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Avoidance | Beat a retreat; turn tail, turn one's back; take to one's heels; runaway, run for one's life; cut and run; be off like a shot; fly, flee; fly away, flee away, run away from; take flight, take to flight; desert, elope; make off, scamper off, sneak off, shuffle off, sheer off; break away, tear oneself away, slip away, slink away, steel away, make away from, scamper away from, sneak away from, shuffle away from, sheer away from; slip cable, part company, turn one's heel; sneak out of, play truant, give one the go by, give leg bail, take French leave, slope, decamp, flit, bolt, abscond, levant, skedaddle, absquatulate, cut one's stick, walk one's chalks, show a light pair of heels, make oneself scarce; escape; go away; (depart); abandon; reject. |
Brittleness | Break, crack, snap, split, shiver, splinter, crumble, break short, burst, fly, give way; fall to pieces; crumble to, crumble into dust. |
Course | Verb: elapse, lapse, flow, run, proceed, advance, pass; roll on, wear on, press on; flit, fly, slip, slide, glide; run its course. |
Departure | Leave a place, quit, vacate, evacuate, abandon; go off the stage, make one's exit; retire, withdraw, remove; vamoose, vamose; go one's way, go along, go from home; take flight, take wing; spring, fly, flit, wing one's flight; fly away, whip away; embark; go on board, go aboard; set sail' put to sea, go to sea; sail, take ship; hoist blue Peter; get under way, weigh anchor; strike tents, decamp; walk one's chalks, cut one's stick; take leave; say good bye, bid goodbye; Noun: disappear; abscond; (avoid); entrain; inspan. |
Fear | Hesitate; (be irresolute); falter, funk, cower, crouch; skulk; (cowardice); let " I dare not" wait upon "I would "; take fright, take alarm; start, wince, flinch, shy, shrink; fly; (avoid). |
Littleness | Animalcule, monad, mite, insect, emmet, fly, midge, gnat, shrimp, minnow, worm, maggot, entozoon; bacteria; infusoria; microzoa; phytozoaria; microbe; grub; tomtit, runt, mouse, small fry; millet seed, mustard seed; barleycorn; pebble, grain of sand; molehill, button, bubble. |
Transientness | Verb: be transient; Adjective: flit, pass away, fly, gallop, vanish, fade, evaporate; pass away like a cloud, pass away like a summer cloud, pass away like a shadow, pass away like a dream. |
Vehicle | Post chaise, diligence, stage; stage coach, mail coach, hackney coach, glass coach; stage wagon, car, omnibus, fly, cabriolet, cab, hansom, shofle, four-wheeler, growler, droshki, drosky. |
Velocity | Verb: move quickly, trip, fisk; speed, hie, hasten, post, spank, scuttle; scud, scuddle; scour, scour the plain; scamper; run like mad, beat it; fly, race, run a race, cut away, shot, tear, whisk, zoom, swoosh, sweep, skim, brush; cut along, bowl along, barrel along, barrel; scorch, burn up the track; rush; (be violent); dash on, dash off, dash forward; bolt; trot, gallop, amble, troll, bound, flit, spring, dart, boom; march in quick time, march in double time; ride hard, get over the ground. |
Violence | Break out, fly out, burst out; bounce, explode, go off, displode, fly, detonate, thunder, blow up, crump, flash, flare, burst; shock, strain; break open, force open, prize open. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | It's called mescaline, it's the only way to fly. (The Matrix; writing credit: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski) One day I'll fly away leave all this to yesterday (Moulin Rouge!; writing credit: Baz Luhrmann; Craig Pearce) You wanna hear something really nutty? I heard of a couple guys who wanna build something called an airplane, you know you get people to go in, and fly around like birds, it's ridiculous, right (Contact; writing credit: Carl Sagan;) All those feathers and he still can't fly! (The Spy Who Loved Me; writing credit: Christopher Wood) There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, perhaps she'll die. (The Fly; writing credit: David Cronenberg and Charles Edward Pogue.) | |
Lyrics | And fly away from here (Fly Away From Here; performing artist: Aerosmith) I fly in any weather (Still Fly; performing artist: Big Tymers) Fly along with me (Learn To Fly; performing artist: Foo Fighters) I dreamed i could fly (Wish I Could Fly; performing artist: Roxette) So I wanna fly like an Eagle (Fly Like an Eagle; performing artist: Seal) | |
Clever | Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead. (references; author: Chinese Proverb) Would a fly without wings be called a walk? (references; author: unknown) Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly. (references; author: unknown) All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction--down. (references; author: unknown) The difference between a duck and a co-pilot? The duck can fly. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | Few free fruit flies fly from flames. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | When Boys Fly (2002) Go Fly a Kite (1974) Wilbur and Orville: The First to Fly (1973) Fly Into Danger (1972) A Fly in the Pink (1971) | |
Song Titles | If Pigs Could Fly (performing artist: Sandy Andina) May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose (performing artist: Little Jimmy Dickens) Learn to Fly (performing artist: Foo Fighters) I'll Fly With You (performing artist: Gigi D'Agostino) Beatnik Fly (Instrumental) (performing artist: Johnny & The Hurricanes) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | First instar larva of Cuterebra, a genus of botfly. Fly, parasite. Credit: CDC. |  | O. volvulus, the filarial parasite responsible for causing Onchocerciasis , River Blindness, is transmitted to its human host through the bite of Simulium spp. flies such as the Black Fly. Credit: CDC. |
 | Leadline sounding operations Wind that sucker up and let her fly. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Horseback packing out of remote areas of Yellowstone - 1950 The snow is beginning to fly One of the last horseback operations in the C&GS. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Resident Canada Geese - the ones who "forget" to fly home for the summer. Resident Canada Geese put additional stress on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Scott Gudes prepares to bury a dead pelican. Pelicans are one of the bird species that become entangled in discarded monofilament fishing line. The birds are trapped by the line when it wraps around their legs and can not fly to hunt for food or reach water. Death is prolonged and painful. The monofilament clean up removes line from the roosting sites to protect birds from entanglement. Credit: NOAA Restoration Center. |
 | The F-16C flagships of the 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, fly the skies over central Europe. Spangdahlem consists of two F-16 squadrons, the 22nd and 23rd Fighter Squadrons. It's also home to the 81st Fighter Squadron, which flies the. |  | F-15A Eagles fly in formation during a Weapons System Evaluation Program. |
 | Fly fisherman on the South Fork of the Holston River. The river is one of the 10 Heritage rivers in the US. NRCS worked with local farmers and other agencies in providing buffers, fencing for livestock, roational grazing, tree planting and recreational. Credit: Jeff Vanuga. |  | Recreationalist, Gayle Norman, fly fishing in a mountain stream. Many water managers use NRCS's snow survey data to manage streams for recreation. Credit: Ron Nichols. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Dragon Fly" by Clayton Maxwell Commentary: "A picture of a dragon fly." | "Dry fly" by Darren MacEachern Commentary: "Cahill fly." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Fly buzzing around. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Alexander Pope | Why has not man a microscopic eye? For the plain reason man is not a fly. |
Ben Joseph Akiba | The paper burns, but the words fly away. |
Chinese Proverb | Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead. |
Dante Alighieri | O human race, born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou so fall? |
Georg C. Lichtenberg | The fly that does not want to be swatted is safest if it sits on the fly-swat. |
George Eliot | Our words have wings, but fly not where we would. |
Muhammad Ali | Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. |
Quentin Crisp | This woman did not fly to extremes; she lived there. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | We fly to beauty as an asylum from the terrors of finite nature. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | The ships and boats mentioned in paragraph 1 include all ships and boats which (a) fly, or may be entitled to fly, the German merchant flag; or (b) are owned by any German national, company or corporation or by any company or corporation belonging to a country other than an Allied or Associated country and under the control or direction of German nationals; or (c) are now under construction (1) in Germany, (2) in other than Allied or Associated countries for the account of any German national, company or corporation. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | I never knew days fly so fast |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | He had, apparently, finished the story that he was telling to the fly, and had found a new occupation |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Its outbursts, its great days, its masterpieces, its prodigies, its epics fly to the ends of the universe, and so do its cock and bull stories also |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | I shall try to fly by those nets |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | To fly the boar before the boar pursues Were to incense the boar to follow us And make pursuit where he did mean no chase |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | He gave up the fly and left it open and fumbled with the underwear buttons, then gave the whole thing up and hitched his brown suspenders |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I said they were fellows of desperate fortunes, forced to fly from the places of their birth, on account of their poverty or their crimes |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | A bite by the tsetse fly is often painful. (references) | |
Through the bite of an infected tsetse fly, found only in Africa. (references) | ||
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly. Bats are a very important part of nature. (references) | ||
Business | PIA competes with 28 international carriers that fly to Pakistan. (references) | |
There are several Belgian-based travel agencies that offer fly and drive packages. (references) | ||
Competition has kept prices low. Some of these airlines also offer fly and drive packages. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | Czech Republic | They also alleged that more than 50 Roma travelers have been denied permission to fly to the United Kingdom based on their ethnicity since the checks began in July. (references) |
Economic History | Pakistan | It has also received approval to fly on the Quetta-Mashad (Iran) route. (references) |
Canada | Canadian and American carriers have unlimited access to fly between any US-Canada city pair. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Indonesia | After the congress, he met with Presidium Council leaders and reemphasized the Government's firm stance against Papuan independence, but said it was permissible to fly Papuan independence flags as long as they were smaller and flown below the Indonesian flag. (references) |
Political Economy | JAPAN | This eliminated many restrictions and resolved a dispute over the rights of longtime carriers to fly through Japan to other international destinations. (references) |
UNITED KINGDOM | The U.S.-UK Bilateral Aviation Agreement is highly restrictive, particularly in limiting the number and access of carriers serving London Heathrow Airport and the European destinations beyond UK airports to which U.S. airlines may fly. (references) | |
Travel | Australia | Around 30 international airlines fly into Australia every week, from 37 countries around the globe. (references) |
Indonesia | No U.S. airlines currently fly into Jakarta, although Continental Micronesia Airlines flies into Denpasar, Bali from Guam. (references) | |
Vietnam | Vietnam Airlines (fax: 84-4-976-0220) and the semi-private Pacific Airlines (fax: 84-4-733-2158) are the only carriers allowed to fly domestically. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | DELUSION, n. The father of a most respectable family, comprising Enthusiasm, Affection, Self-denial, Faith, Hope, Charity and many other goodly sons and daughters. All hail, Delusion! Were it not for thee The world turned topsy-turvy we should see; For Vice, respectable with cleanly fancies, Would fly abandoned Virtue's gross advances. Mumfrey Mappel |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Art Linkletter | Well, I went three days after. I took Lufthansa and flew from here to Frankfurt and Frankfurt in. I figure, actually, the safest time to fly is after any kind of an accident or tragedy. |
Dennis Miller | Make the airport screeners fly on a plane once a week. |
John Walsh | You have watched the tape, the bin Laden tape, pretty disgusting. I mean it is an indictment of his knowledge. Certainly the guys who went to the flight schools, who knew how to fly the planes, knew what they were going to do. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | I believe it the only one where every man, at the call of the law, would fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public order as his own personal concern. |
Abraham Lincoln | 1861-1865 | Whoever rejects it does of necessity fly to anarchy or to despotism. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Fly" is generally used as a lexical verb (infinitive) -- approximately 61.80% of the time. "Fly" is used about 3,267 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 61.8% | 2,019 | 4,277 |
| Noun (singular) | 21.19% | 692 | 9,608 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 16.09% | 525 | 11,636 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.46% | 15 | 90,616 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 0.43% | 14 | 93,893 |
| Unclassified Items | 0.03% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 3,267 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "fly" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Fly | Last name | 1,000 | 12,222 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "fly". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Baal-zebub | N/A | Biblical | God of the fly |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "fly": a fly in the oinment ♦ a fly in the ointment ♦ a tiny fly ♦ Adder fly ♦ Alder fly ♦ american fly honeysuckle ♦ antlion fly ♦ Apple fly ♦ bar fly ♦ be a fly on the wall ♦ Bean fly ♦ Bee fly ♦ Berna fly ♦ biting house fly ♦ black fly ♦ Blister fly ♦ blow fly ♦ boat fly ♦ Bobbin and fly frame ♦ bot fly ♦ break a fly on the wheel ♦ break the fly on the wheel ♦ breeze fly ♦ Brine fly ♦ Buffalo fly ♦ Bull fly ♦ Burrel fly ♦ Cabbage fly ♦ Caddice fly ♦ caddis fly ♦ Canker fly ♦ carrion fly ♦ carrot fly ♦ cast a fly ♦ cause to fly ♦ cementitious fly ash ♦ Chalcid fly ♦ chalcis fly ♦ Cheese fly ♦ class C fly ash ♦ Columbatz fly ♦ common house fly ♦ Corn fly ♦ crane fly ♦ damsel fly ♦ day fly ♦ deer fly fever ♦ dobson fly ♦ Dolphin fly ♦ Dragon fly ♦ Dragon fly etc ♦ Drake fly ♦ drive or fly ♦ Drone fly ♦ dry fly ♦ End fly ♦ Ephemeral fly ♦ european fly honeysuckle ♦ fire fly ♦ Fishing fly ♦ flesh fly ♦ fly a flag ♦ fly a kite ♦ fly about ♦ fly across ♦ fly after ♦ fly agaric ♦ Fly amanita ♦ fly apart ♦ fly around ♦ fly ash ♦ fly at ♦ fly at a low altitude ♦ fly at each other ♦ fly at higher game ♦ fly at smb. ♦ fly at smb.'s throat ♦ fly away ♦ fly back ♦ fly ball ♦ fly blind ♦ Fly block ♦ Fly board ♦ Fly book ♦ fly bridge ♦ fly button ♦ fly by ♦ fly by instruments ♦ Fly cap ♦ fly casting ♦ fly contact ♦ Fly Creek ♦ fly curtain ♦ fly down ♦ fly dragging ♦ Fly drill ♦ Fly fisherman ♦ Fly fishing ♦ fly flags ♦ Fly flap ♦ fly floor. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "fly": fly-ash, fly-away, fly-bar, fly-be-night, fly-bird, Fly-bitten, fly-blow, fly-blown, fly-book, fly-born, fly-boy, fly-boys, fly-buttons, fly-by, fly-by-night, fly-by-nights, fly-bys, fly-bywire, fly-by-wire, Fly-case, fly-casting, fly-catcher, fly-catchers, Fly-catching, fly-catching thrush, Fly-catching warbler, fly-corpses, fly-covered, fly-cruises, fly-down indication, fly-drive, fly-drives, Fly-fish, fly-fisher, fly-fishermen, fly-fishers, fly-fishing, fly-flap, fly-floor, Fly-fornication, fly-front, fly-fronted, fly-half, fly-halves, fly-hit, fly-in, fly-infested, fly-in-ists, fly-ins, fly-kicked, fly-leaf, fly-leaves, fly-like, fly-man, fly-men, Fly-mo, fly-off, fly-only, fly-on-the-wall, fly-on-the-wall-style, fly-out, fly-over, fly-overs, fly-paper, fly-papers, fly-past, fly-posted, fly-posters, fly-posting, fly-ridden, fly-rod, fly-sheet, fly-shooting, fly-specked, fly-speckled, fly-spotted, fly-spray, fly-stained, fly-strip, fly-swat, fly-swatter, fly-swatting, fly-the-flag, fly-tipped, fly-tipper, fly-tippers, fly-tipping, fly-title, fly-trap, fly-traps, fly-tyer, fly-tyers, fly-tying, fly-under, fly-up indication, fly-wheel, fly-wheels, fly-whisk. | |
Ending with "fly": no-fly, on-the-fly, spy-fly. | |
Containing "fly": centre-cum-fly-half, multi-fly-overed, no-fly-zone. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
fly fishing | 11,927 | fruit fly | 319 |
fly fishing trip | 6,517 | trout fly | 312 |
fly fishing gear | 2,434 | fly with the wings of love | 308 |
fly | 1,899 | learn to fly | 271 |
fly rod | 1,804 | fly fish | 256 |
lord of the fly | 1,485 | park and fly | 252 |
montana fly fishing | 1,162 | fly in fishing | 248 |
fly reel | 1,115 | salmon fly | 243 |
fly cheap | 887 | saltwater fly fishing | 190 |
venus fly trap | 792 | fly fishing colorado | 182 |
fly tying | 738 | black fly | 180 |
fly fishing rod | 555 | fly shop | 179 |
fly fishing alaska | 491 | fly fishing knots | 177 |
copter fly | 489 | fly infield rule | 174 |
spanish fly | 472 | fly me to the moon | 162 |
fly fishing equipment | 383 | fly fishing vacation | 162 |
i believe i can fly | 369 | sage fly rod | 162 |
fly trap | 334 | park n fly | 161 |
dragon fly | 329 | fly fishing reel | 156 |
still fly | 320 | house fly | 153 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "fly"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | vlieg (housefly). (various references) | |
Albanian | fluturoj (blow off, flap, flit, fly away, fly by, run, soar, spread, voyage, wing). (various references) | |
Arabic | فر (abscond, bolt, break away, decamp, elope, escape, flee, flight, get away, get free, get off, run away, run off, slope, take flight, take to one's heels), هرب (abscond, contraband, drive away, elope, escape, fled, flee, fleeing, get away, get out of, powder, put to flight, run away, run first, run from smb., run off, shun, slope, smuggle, take flight, take to one's heels, tamper, traffic, turn tail), لسان لتغطية أزرار الثوب, حلق (aspire, circle, ear ring, fauces, flatten out, flit, float, fly off, gorge, gullet, hawk about, larynx, pharynx, plane, ring, rise, shaving, soar, take off, throat, tower, trim), تلاشى (disappear, dissolve, drain, evanesce, evaporate, fade, fall, flee, go to pieces, melt, molder, moulder, pass out of sight, peter, trail, vanish), تبدد (clear, death, dispersal, dispersion, dissipate, go to waste, recede, tarnish), سافر (barefaced, cover, cruise, fare, go, hike, journey, leave, pack, ride, set off, tour, travel, voyage), عبر (across, act out, carry, clothe, come, come across, conceive, couch, cross, emit, enunciate, express, express oneself, get through, give voice to, go over, jibe, jump, mouth, navigate, negotiate, pass, phrase, run, signify, slice through, span, swim, track, trans, transit, ventilate, voice), طيران (aviation, flight, flying, wing), طارد (bouncer, chase, course, dog, evictor, expeller, give chase, go after, hound, hunt, prosecute, pursue, repellent, run, run down, want), طار (flying, plane, rise, stream, swarm, take off, take wing, volatilize, whiffle, wing, winnow), ذبابة (house fly), الفسحة المنبسطة (space), إنطلق بسرعة (breeze, clip, fleet, lick, prick, rocket, scat, scoot, scorch, scud, steam, tear away). (various references) | |
Asturian | mosca. (various references) | |
Aymara | chhichhillanca. (various references) | |
Basque | euli. (various references) | |
Bemba | lunshi. (various references) | |
Blackfoot | soy'sksíssi. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | мушица, пилотирам (navigate, pilot), платнище което служи за врата, полет (carry, drive, flight, flying), полетявам (dart off, stagger, start flying, take wing), препускам (course, hump, race, rip, scurry, spur, tantivy), пускам (admit, bleed, cast off, course, discharge, dismiss, drive, drop, float, give off, grow, issue, let, let fall, let go, let loose, mail, play, push out, put forth, put on, put out, release, rip out, run, send forth, slip, start, start up, throw in, turn out, uncork, unhand, unleash), пътувам със самолет (plane), баланс (account, balance), бързам (bustle about, hasten, hie, hurry, hurry up, hustle, nip along, pelt, post), дължина на знаме, летя (kite, sail, spin along, tear, tear along, wing), събирач (accumulator, collector, picker), муха, нахвърлям се (assail, fly at, leap up, lunge, pitch into, pounce), нося се из въздуха, копчелък, крило на вятърна мелница (sail, sail arm, sweep, vane, whip, wind-sail), хвърча (bound, flit, flitter), развявам се (blow about), разстояние на полет, управлявам (administer, administrate, con, direct, govern, guide, handle, helm, keel, manage, navigate, operate, rule, run, superintend, take), лек кабриолет с един кон. (various references) | |
Catalan | volar, mosca (housefly). (various references) | |
Cebuano | langaw. (various references) | |
Chamorro | lalo'. (various references) | |
Chinese | 飞行 (Flew, Flies, flight, Flown, flying, Planed, Planing), 飛翔 , 飄揚 (flutter, wave), 蒼 (dark blue, deep green, musca), 蠅 (musca). (various references) | |
Cornish | kelyonen. (various references) | |
Czech | létat. (various references) | |
Danish | flyve, flue (housefly). (various references) | |
Dutch | vliegen (aviate), aanvliegen (approach). (various references) | |
Ecuadorian Quechua | chuspi. (various references) | |
Esperanto | flugi, muŝo (housefly), balanciero (balance), alflugi (approach). (various references) | |
Faeroese | fluga (housefly). (various references) | |
Farsi | فرارکردن از, پروازکردن (Flight, Kite, Whir), پروازدادن (Hop), پرواز (Flight, Plane, Wing), پراندن (Jet, Jump, Sling, Squirt, Whisk), پرش (Bounce, Convulsion, Jump, Jumpoff, Leap, Spout, Startle, Wing), چابک وزرنگ , گریختن از, حشره پردار, افراشتن (Erect, Rear), دراهترازبودن , بهوافرستادن . (various references) | |
Finnish | lentää (go by air), kärpänen (hobby, housefly). (various references) | |
French | voler (fleece), mouche, volant (flounce, flying, flywheel). (various references) | |
Frisian | mich (housefly). (various references) | |
German | fliegen (aviation, be chucked, be flung, blow, carry, fall, flying, go, pilot, race, sail, skim, to fly, to fly (flew, to go by plane, to travel by air, travel, voyage), fliege (bow tie, housefly). (various references) | |
Greek | μύγα, πετώ (cast, cast off, chuck, discard, dump, fleet, fling, hurl, jet, throw, wing). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | fluturoj. (various references) | |
Hebrew | לפרפר (crumb, flutter, hover, jerk, palpitate, quiver, struggle, twitch), לעופף (brandish a sword), לעוף (flit, soar, wing), להמלט (escape, flee, get away, make off, run away, take to ones heels), להתפרח, להתעופף (fly off, hurtle, vanish), להתנוסס (be hoisted, sparkle, wave), להעיף (fling, flip, hurl), להטיס, לדאות (glide, soar), לטוס (wing), לנוס (escape, flee, turn tail), זבוב (housefly), כפתור מכנסים. (various references) | |
Hungarian | légy (housefly, to know how many beans make five), száll (flew, flown, to be on the wing, to fall upon, to feather, to float, to fly), repül (aviate, flit, plane, to be on the wing, to fly the beam, to jet, to kite, to ride the beam, to whiz, to whizz, to wing its flight, to wing the air). (various references) | |
Icelandic | fluga. (various references) | |
Indonesian | terbang (airborne), lalat. (various references) | |
Inuktitut | anangiq. (various references) | |
Irish | eitil, cuileog, cuil. (various references) | |
Italian | volare (drive, fall off, fly by, hie, hurry, pass quickly, pilot, scud, soar, speed), mosca (bow tie, housefly, Moscow). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 掲揚 (display, hoist flag). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | フライ (fried seafood or vegetables in general), ひきゅう (brave warrior, ferocious leopard-like beast, self-sacrificing service), けばり (lure), けいよう (description, display, figure, figure of speech, form, hoist, modifying, qualification, stems and leaves, Tokyo and Chiba), はえ (glory, minnow, prosperity, shinner). (various references) | |
Kongo | nianzi. (various references) | |
Korean | 비행거리 (Flies). (various references) | |
Macedonian | muva. (various references) | |
Malay | terbang, lalat (housefly). (various references) | |
Manx | quill (gnat), quaillag (housefly), kioot (acute, astute, canny, clever, crafty, foxy, intelligent, keen-witted, quick-witted, shrewd, smart, wily), kialgagh (calculated, calculating, circumventory, crafty, deceitful, deceiving, deceptive, fallacious, guileful, illusive, insidious, perfidious, seditious, treacherous, tricky, wily), ettyl, ettlagh, etlagh (aviation, flight), croghey (bank on, climb, cling, depend, drape, hang, hinge, hinge as story, hoist, jack up, lean on, loft, pendant, pitch, sheer, spring, suspension, swing), carchuillag (fleshfly, humming fly), bennalt (flap, flutter, waft, winnow). (various references) | |
Maori | ngaro. (various references) | |
Mohawk | tsiks. (various references) | |
Norwegian | flue (housefly). (various references) | |
Occitan | volar, mosca. (various references) | |
Papago | tha'ichuth (to fly). (various references) | |
Papiamen | muskita (housefly), muska (housefly). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | yflay.(various references) | |
Polish | mucha (housefly). (various references) | |
Portuguese | voar (aviate, douche, fleet, flit, flown), mosca (bull's-eye, housefly, patch). (various references) | |
Provencal | mosca. (various references) | |
Romanian | fâlfâi (flap, flicker, float, flutter, stream, wave), flutura (brandish, flaunt, flit, float, flourish, flow, flutter, quiver, swing, wave, whisk about), fugi (career, chase, collide, course, dash, disappear, elope, escape, flee, fly off, give way, make off, make one's escape, pack off, run, scamper, scatter, scuttle away, take oneself to flight), refugia (escape, flee), bucatã de pânzã la cort, clapã (clack, flap, flapper, key, stop, stopple, valve), curge (course, drip, elapse, flow, glide, hang, not to hold water, pour, rain, run, start, stream, suppurate), dispãrea (abscond, clear, decamp, die, disappear, dissolve, do a guy, drop off, evanesce, evaporate, fade away, flee, get out of sight, go out of sight, pass away, peter out, vanish), evita (avoid, balk, baulk, berth, by pass, clear, dodge, elide, elude, escape, eschew, evade, finesse, forbear, keep from, Parry, pass off, put off, save, shun, spare), muscã, ocoli (avoid, cheat, circumambulate, double upon, elide, enclose, eschew, Parry, pass by, pass off, ramble, round, shun, side step, wander), alerga (career, chase, collide, course, elapse, flow, go, go the pace, haste, hasten, hurry, race, run, rush, scamper, scour, spank, urge, walk), plana (hover, sail, smooth, soar, volplane), zbura peste, se cheltui repede, se grãbi (bucket, bundle, gallop, get jerk, hasten, hurry, make haste, rush, speed, spur, whisk along), strecura (edge, filter, glissade, insinuate, interject, intermingle, interpose, percolate, slink, slip, squeeze), trãsurã cu un cal, transporta cu avionul, transporta pe calea aerului, trece în zbor, veni într-un suflet spre, zbor (flight, flying, gliding, race, soar, soaring, towering, volitation, wing), zbura (career, dart, dash, flash, flee, fleet, flight, flit, fly out, hover, sail, slip, sweep, tower), pilota (hand signal, navigate, pilot, ply, sail, steer). (various references) | |
Romansch | mustga. (various references) | |
Romany | makhì. (various references) | |
Ruanda | asazi. (various references) | |
Russian | развеваться (flutter), нестись (rush), набрасываться с бранью, напуститься (fall), нападать (assail, assault, assaulted, fall foul of, fall on, inveigh, lunge), муха, лететь (wing), летать муха;ширинка, летать (flew, flitter, flown, voyage), проноситься (run, slide by, sweep, whirl), пролетать (hurtle), полететь, поднимать (boost, draw up, elevate, lift, pick up, raise, rear, take up, turn up, up, upheave, uplift, upraise, weigh up), перемахнуть. (various references) | |
Samoan | lele (flight). (various references) | |
Scottish | cuileag (a fly, housefly). (various references) | |
Sepedi | ntahi (eyelash). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | pilotirati (aviate, pilot), muva, leteti (flit), šlic (slit). (various references) | |
Shona | nhunzi. (various references) | |
Sicilian | musca. (various references) | |
Spanish | volar (blow, blow up, sail, spring, walk, wing), mosca (bore, cantharis, dough, housefly, Midge, money, pest). (various references) | |
Sranan | freyfrey (housefly), frey (wing). (various references) | |
Swahili | inzi (housefly). (various references) | |
Swazi | ím-phungáne. (various references) | |
Swedish | flyga (dart, flit, flitter, go by air, pilot, plane, rush, soar), fluga (bow, craze, craziness, fad, housefly, rage), vaja (flaunt, float, flutter, stream, wave), gylf, fly (escape, flee, fly from, noctuid moth, run away, shun, vanish). (various references) | |
Tagalog | lumipád, lángaw (housefly). (various references) | |
Thai | แมลงวัน, เดินทางโดยเครื่องบิน, พุ่งไปอย่างรวดเร็ว (rocket), บังคับเครื่องบิน, บิน, ผ้าใบปิดเต็นท์, หลบหนี (duck out, flee, hide out, lose), ขนส่งทางอากาศ. (various references) | |
Turkish | uçmak (barrel, belt, evaporate, fade, flush, freak out, plane, sail, scorch, soar, take wing, wing). (various references) | |
Turkmen | uзmak (disappear, stagger), siсek. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | спритний (adroit, agile, alert, arch, artful, canny, cunning, deft, dexterous, dodgy, handy, light fingered, light-handed, natty, nifty, nimble, nimble footed, nimble-fingered, pert, politic, practical, shuffling, slick, tactical, whipping, wide awake, zippy), обачний (awake, canny, careful, cautious, chary, circumspect, circumspective, deliberate, guarded, hard-headed, provident, prudent, wary, wise), наживка (bait, kill-devil, lure, squid), муха, мчати (bucket, career, course, dash, hurtle, post, race, sail, scud, shoot ahead, shove along, tear along, waft, whiz, whizz, whoosh), майоріти (wave, waver), літати (beetle, kite), летіти (wing), політ (flight, flying). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | tỉnh táo (alert, conscious, flew, wakeful), sâu bệnh dùng dao mổ trâu cắt tiết gà (flew), sự bay (flew), cảnh giác (flew, qui vive, vigilant, wary, watchful). (various references) | |
Welsh | hedfan (hover), hedeg (run to seed), gwybedyn, ehedfan (hover), ehedeg (run to seed), cylionyn (gnat), cylionen (gnat), cleren, adeinio (succor). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | avolabunt, avolans, avolantes, avolare, avolaverunt, avolavit, convolabat, convolantibus, fuge, fugerant, fugerat, fugeratque, fugere, fugerem, fugerent, fugeret, fugerimus, fugerint, fugerit, fugeritque, fugerunt, fugeruntque, fugi, fugiam, fugiamus, fugiant, fugias, fugiat, fugiebam, fugiebant, fugiebas, fugiebat, fugiemus, fugiendum, fugiens, fugient, fugientem, fugientes, fugientibus, fugientibusque, fugientis, fugientium, fugies, fugiet, fugietis, fugio, fugisse, fugissent, fugisset, fugisti, fugistis, fugit, fugite, fugitque, fugiunt, musca, muscae, muscarum, muscas, muscis, no, volabant, volabantque, volabo, volabunt, volandum, volans, volant, volante, volantem, volantes, volantis, volare, volavit, volem, voles, volet, volo. (various references) |
| Old English | 450-1100 | fleogan. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Matthew Chapter 23, Verse 24 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Odhgoi tufloi oi diulizonteV ton kwnwpa thn de kamhlon katapinonteV |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Duces caeci excolantes culicem camelum autem gluttientes |
| Old English | 990 | West Saxon | La blinde latteowas ge drenieð þannegnet aweig. & drinceð þa olfend. |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Blynde lederis, clensinge a gnatte, but swolewynge a camel. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | Ye blinde gydes which strayne out a gnat and swalowe a cammyll. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | You blind guides, who take out a fly from your drink, but make no trouble over a camel. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Matthew Chapter 23, Verse 24 |
| Cebuano | Kamong mga magtotultol nga buta, ginasala ninyo ang usa ka buok nga tagnok ug ginalamoy ninyo ang usa ka buok nga kamelyo! |
| Croatian | Slijepe voðe! Cijedite komarca, a gutate devu!" |
| Danish | I blinde Vejledere, I, som si Myggen af, men nedsluge Kamelen! |
| Dutch | Gij blinde leidslieden, die de mug uitzijgt, en den kemel doorzwelgt. |
| Finnish | Voi teitä, kirjanoppineet ja fariseukset, te ulkokullatut, kun te puhdistatte maljan ja vadin ulkopuolen, mutta sisältä ne ovat täynnä ryöstöä ja hillittömyyttä! |
| French | Conducteurs aveugles! qui coulez le moucheron, et qui avalez le chameau. |
| German | Ihr verblendeten Leiter, die ihr Mücken seihet und Kamele verschluckt! |
| Haitian Creole | Nou menm k'ap kondi pèp la, nou se yon bann avèg pou tèt pa nou. Nou pase lèt la nan paswa pou nou wete ti mouch ki tonbe ladan li. Men, nou vale yon chwal! |
| Hungarian | Vak vezérek, a kik megszûritek a szúnyogot, a tevét pedig elnyelitek. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Kalian pemimpin-pemimpin yang buta! Lalat dalam minumanmu kalian saring, padahal unta kalian telan! |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Hai pemimpin yang buta, yang menapis nyamuk, tetapi menelan unta. |
| Italian | Guide cieche, che filtrate il moscerino e ingoiate il cammello! |
| Manx Gaelic | Shiuish leeideilee doal, ta sheeley veue yn char-chuilag, agh sluggee shiu camel. |
| Maori | E nga kaiarahi matapo, e tatari nei i te waeroa, a horomia ake te kamera. |
| Norwegian | I blinde veiledere, som avsiler myggen, men sluker kamelen! |
| Portuguese | Guias cegos! que coais um mosquito, e engulis um camelo. |
| Rumanian | Povqyuitori orbi, cari strecurayi yknyarul wi knghiyiyi cqmila! |
| Russian | чПЦДЙ УМЕРЩЕ, ПГЕЦЙЧБАЭЙЕ ЛПНБТБ, Б ЧЕТВМАДБ РПЗМПЭБАЭЙЕ! |
| Shuar | Atumka jintinkiartiniaitiatrum nékachu asarum kusuru ainiuitrume. Kutanam yajasmach enketu Wáinkiurmeka Júwitrume. Túrayatrum kamiriu Wáinkiurmeka kawai nankaamas uunt ain takamtsuk Kújawitrume.' |
| Spanish | ¡Guías ciegos, que coláis el mosquito pero tragáis el camello! |
| Swedish | I blinde ledare, som silen bort myggan och sväljen kamelen! |
| Uma | Koi' hewa towero to mpotete' doo. Koi' hewa tauna to mpolali koromu' nete' ngkai ue ininu-ni, hiaa' hama'a unta, to bohe lia, ni'ome' lau. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "fly": flyable, flyaway, flyaways, flybelt, flybelts, flyblew, flyblow, flyblowing, flyblown, flyblows, flyboat, flyboats, flyboy, flyboys, flybridge, flybridges, flyby, flybys, flycatcher, flycatchers, flyer, flyers, flying, flyings, flyleaf, flyleaves, flyless, flyman, flymen, flyoff, flyoffs, flyover, flyovers, flypaper, flypapers, flypast, flypasts, flysch, flysches, flyspeck, flyspecked, flyspecking, flyspecks, flyswatter, flyswatters, flyte, flyted, flytes, flytier, flytiers, flyting. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "fly": alderfly, aloofly, barfly, blackfly, blowfly, bluffly, botfly, briefly, butterfly, catchfly, chiefly, damselfly, dayfly, deafly, deerfly, dobsonfly, dragonfly, firefly, gadfly, gallfly, glowfly, greenfly, gruffly, horsefly, housefly, liefly, mayfly, medfly, outfly, overfly, refly, ruffly, sandfly, sawfly, shadfly, shoofly, snuffly, stiffly, stonefly, whitefly. (additional references) | |
Words containing "fly": butterflyer, butterflyers, butterflying, highflyer, highflyers, nonflying, outflying, overflying, reflying, unflyable. (additional references) | |
| |
"Fly" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: afli, cly, faly, ffly, filfy, filgy, fiy, flb, fley, fli, flie, flih, fliq, flj, flm, fln, floy, flye, flym, flyn, flys, foly, Fsyn, fuly, fuy, fyl, fyu, fyw, fyz, hly, nfl, Qly, Rly, uly, zfy, zly. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "fly" (pronounced flī") |
| 3 | f l ī" | overfly. |
| 2 | -l ī" | ally, apply, belie, comply, imply, lie, lye, misapply, oversupply, ply, rely, reply, resupply, sly, supply, underlie. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words containing the letters "f-l-y" | |
+1 letter: flay, fley. | |
+2 letters: fatly, felly, ferly, feyly, filly, filmy, fitly, flaky, flamy, flawy, flaxy, flays, fleys, fluky, fluty, fluyt, flyby, flyer, flyte, folky, folly, fully, gulfy, leafy, lefty, lofty, refly. | |
+3 letters: barfly, belfry, botfly, cliffy, daftly, dayfly, deafly, deftly, eyeful, fairly, family, faulty, fealty, featly, feckly, feebly, felony, fickly, fiddly, filthy, finely, firmly, flabby, flaggy, flakey, flappy, flashy, flatly, flayed, flayer, flecky, fledgy, fleecy, fleshy, fleury, fleyed, flimsy, flinty, flippy, flirty, floaty, flocky, flooey, floosy, floozy, floppy, flossy, floury, fluffy, flukey, flunky, flurry, flutey, fluyts, flyboy, flybys, flyers, flying, flyman, flymen, flyoff, flysch, flyted, flytes, flyway, folksy, fondly, formyl, foully, foxily, freely, frilly, fylfot, gadfly, joyful, layoff, liefly, mayfly, medfly, myself, outfly, rifely, ruffly, safely, salify, sawfly, softly, uglify, vilify, wifely. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Historic 12. Quotations: Fiction | 13. Quotations: Non-fiction 14. Quotations: Spoken 15. Quotations: Speeches 16. Usage Frequency | 17. Names: Frequency 18. Names: Derived from 19. Expressions 20. Expressions: Internet | 21. Translations: Modern 22. Translations: Ancient 23. Bible Trace 24. Derivations | 25. Rhymes 26. Anagrams 27. Bibliography |
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