fly by the seat of one's pants
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fly by the seat of one's pants
verb flies by the seat of one's pants · flying by the seat of one's pants · flew by the seat of one's pants · flown by the seat of one's pants
- To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment. Between world wars, when Douglas Bader was a cocky, teen-age R.A.F. cadet . . . a man could navigate by eye and the nearest railroad track and fly by the seat of his pants.
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To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan or without the desirable data inputs to decision making.
“Unlike Obama and his methodical process, McCain was flying by the seat of his pants,” the authors observe.
Similar: play by ear, make it up as one goes along, wing it
Translations
Every language
verb to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment
| Português | realizar um voo cego, pilotar sem a ajuda de aparelhos |
|---|---|
| Français | naviguer, piloter, ... à vue |
verb to improvise a course of action
| Português | fazer com a cara e a coragem, fazer o que dá na cabeça, fazer de improviso, improvisar |
|---|---|
| Français | naviguer à vue, décider, agir, ... au doigt mouillé |
Talk about this word "fly by the seat of one's pants." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fly%20by%20the%20seat%20of%20one's%20pants. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. fly by the seat of one's pants. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20by%20the%20seat%20of%20one's%20pants "fly by the seat of one's pants." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20by%20the%20seat%20of%20one's%20pants.Cite this
@misc{fly_by_the_seat_of_one_s_pants_2026,
title = {fly by the seat of one's pants},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fly%20by%20the%20seat%20of%20one's%20pants},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
