See fly by the seat of one's pants on Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "flies by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "flying by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "flew by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "flown by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "fly<,,flew,flown> by the seat of one's pants"
},
"expansion": "fly by the seat of one's pants (third-person singular simple present flies by the seat of one's pants, present participle flying by the seat of one's pants, simple past flew by the seat of one's pants, past participle flown by the seat of one's pants)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "58 42",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "61 39",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
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{
"_dis": "60 40",
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{
"_dis": "61 39",
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"name": "Pages with entries",
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"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "55 45",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "57 43",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Aviation",
"orig": "en:Aviation",
"parents": [
"Aeronautics",
"Transport",
"Sciences",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1955 February 21, “Planes for Pleasure”, in Time:",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment."
],
"id": "en-fly_by_the_seat_of_one's_pants-en-verb-UOA1lTTa",
"links": [
[
"pilot",
"pilot"
],
[
"aircraft",
"aircraft"
],
[
"flight plan",
"flight plan"
],
[
"instinct",
"instinct"
],
[
"practical",
"practical"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "80 20",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "naviguer"
},
{
"_dis1": "80 20",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "piloter"
},
{
"_dis1": "80 20",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "... à vue"
},
{
"_dis1": "80 20",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "realizar um voo cego"
},
{
"_dis1": "80 20",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "pilotar sem a ajuda de aparelhos"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "53 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "55 45",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2010 January 14, Jacob Heilbrunn, “Election Confidential”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-06-25:",
"text": "“Unlike Obama and his methodical process, McCain was flying by the seat of his pants,” the authors observe.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"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."
],
"id": "en-fly_by_the_seat_of_one's_pants-en-verb-T7eWyb40",
"links": [
[
"judgment",
"judgment"
],
[
"initiative",
"initiative"
],
[
"perception",
"perception"
],
[
"improvise",
"improvise"
],
[
"predetermined",
"predetermined"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, by extension) To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan or without the desirable data inputs to decision making."
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "18 82",
"word": "in flight"
},
{
"_dis1": "18 82",
"word": "on the fly"
},
{
"_dis1": "18 82",
"word": "pantser"
},
{
"_dis1": "18 82",
"word": "pantsing"
},
{
"_dis1": "18 82",
"word": "seat-of-the-pants"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "play by ear"
},
{
"word": "make it up as one goes along"
},
{
"word": "wing it"
}
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "naviguer à vue"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "décider"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "agir"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "... au doigt mouillé"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer com a cara e a coragem"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer o que dá na cabeça"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer de improviso"
},
{
"_dis1": "25 75",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "improvisar"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-fly by the seat of one's pants.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/36/En-au-fly_by_the_seat_of_one%27s_pants.ogg/En-au-fly_by_the_seat_of_one%27s_pants.ogg.mp3",
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"word": "fly by the seat of one's pants"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"en:Aviation"
],
"forms": [
{
"form": "flies by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "flying by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "flew by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "flown by the seat of one's pants",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "fly<,,flew,flown> by the seat of one's pants"
},
"expansion": "fly by the seat of one's pants (third-person singular simple present flies by the seat of one's pants, present participle flying by the seat of one's pants, simple past flew by the seat of one's pants, past participle flown by the seat of one's pants)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "in flight"
},
{
"word": "on the fly"
},
{
"word": "pantser"
},
{
"word": "pantsing"
},
{
"word": "seat-of-the-pants"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1955 February 21, “Planes for Pleasure”, in Time:",
"text": "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.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment."
],
"links": [
[
"pilot",
"pilot"
],
[
"aircraft",
"aircraft"
],
[
"flight plan",
"flight plan"
],
[
"instinct",
"instinct"
],
[
"practical",
"practical"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2010 January 14, Jacob Heilbrunn, “Election Confidential”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-06-25:",
"text": "“Unlike Obama and his methodical process, McCain was flying by the seat of his pants,” the authors observe.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"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."
],
"links": [
[
"judgment",
"judgment"
],
[
"initiative",
"initiative"
],
[
"perception",
"perception"
],
[
"improvise",
"improvise"
],
[
"predetermined",
"predetermined"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, by extension) To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan or without the desirable data inputs to decision making."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "play by ear"
},
{
"word": "make it up as one goes along"
},
{
"word": "wing it"
}
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-fly by the seat of one's pants.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/36/En-au-fly_by_the_seat_of_one%27s_pants.ogg/En-au-fly_by_the_seat_of_one%27s_pants.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/En-au-fly_by_the_seat_of_one%27s_pants.ogg"
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"translations": [
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "naviguer"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "piloter"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "... à vue"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "realizar um voo cego"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to pilot an aircraft using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment",
"word": "pilotar sem a ajuda de aparelhos"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "naviguer à vue"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "décider"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "agir"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "... au doigt mouillé"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer com a cara e a coragem"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer o que dá na cabeça"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "fazer de improviso"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "to improvise a course of action",
"word": "improvisar"
}
],
"word": "fly by the seat of one's pants"
}
Download raw JSONL data for fly by the seat of one's pants meaning in All languages combined (5.1kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.