"on the wing" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "on the wing",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "on the wing",
      "name": "en-PP"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1835 February, Thomas Hutton, “Observations on an Article in Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, on the subject of the Albatross”, in Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, volume 4, number 38, page 108",
          "text": "Next comes a supposition, that the bird sleeps on the wing, and that the great distance from land at which it is seen at close of day is thought to favour the supposition[…].",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, Scott Weidensaul, Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, North Point Press, published 2000, page 346",
          "text": "By surviving the rigors of a life on the wing, birds earn another chance to pass on their genes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "While flying."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_the_wing-en-prep_phrase-HHVZX15O",
      "links": [
        [
          "While",
          "while"
        ],
        [
          "fly",
          "fly"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "in flight"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "During operation."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_the_wing-en-prep_phrase-9PTvWxl6",
      "links": [
        [
          "operation",
          "operation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) During operation."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "on the fly"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 7 64 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In motion."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_the_wing-en-prep_phrase-MKTf4UJZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "In motion",
          "in motion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) In motion."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "on the move"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Departing."
      ],
      "id": "en-on_the_wing-en-prep_phrase-lhZ3Qyv-",
      "links": [
        [
          "Departing",
          "depart"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Departing."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the wing"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases"
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "on the wing",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "on the wing",
      "name": "en-PP"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1835 February, Thomas Hutton, “Observations on an Article in Loudon's Magazine of Natural History, on the subject of the Albatross”, in Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, volume 4, number 38, page 108",
          "text": "Next comes a supposition, that the bird sleeps on the wing, and that the great distance from land at which it is seen at close of day is thought to favour the supposition[…].",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, Scott Weidensaul, Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, North Point Press, published 2000, page 346",
          "text": "By surviving the rigors of a life on the wing, birds earn another chance to pass on their genes.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "While flying."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "While",
          "while"
        ],
        [
          "fly",
          "fly"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "in flight"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "During operation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "operation",
          "operation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) During operation."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "on the fly"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "In motion."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "In motion",
          "in motion"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) In motion."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "on the move"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Departing."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Departing",
          "depart"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Departing."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the wing"
}