Lexic.us

Definition of Fly-by-night

1. Adjective. (of businesses and businessmen) unscrupulous. "A shady operation"

2. Noun. A debtor who flees to avoid paying.

3. Adjective. Ephemeral. "The symphony is no fly-by-night venture"

Definition of Fly-by-night

1. Noun. A creature which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler. ¹

2. Noun. One who departs or flees at night in order to avoid creditors, law enforcement etc. (often used attributively). ¹

3. Noun. (idiomatic derogatory) A person or business that appears and disappears rapidly, or gives an impression of transience. ¹

4. Noun. (idiomatic derogatory) A traveling businessman or tradesman. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Fly-by-night

fluxless fluxmeter fluxoid fluxomic fluxomics fluxon fluxonium fluxons fluxtube fluxtubes

fluxunit fluyt fluyts fly fly-box fly-by-night (current term) fly-by-nights fly-case fly-catching fly-fish

fly-fishing fly-half fly-in fly-pitch fly-pitching fly-posters fly-tip fly-tipper

Literary usage of Fly-by-night

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Cyclopaedia of English Literature: A Selection of the Choicest Productions by Robert Chambers, Robert Carruthers (1853)
"... We fly by night, 'mongst troops of spirits. No ring of bells to our cars sounds ; No howls of wolves, no yelp of hounds ; No, not the noise of waters' ..."

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