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Fly

Definition: Fly

Fly

Adjective

1. (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked.

Noun

1. 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.

Verb

1. 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)

 

Specialty Definition: Fly

DomainDefinition

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.

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Specialty Definition: Aircraft

(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

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


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Flag terminology
(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:


Description of standard flag areas:




Basic Patterns in Flags

(the following is an animated gif, and will change to 7 variations in flag design)




Techniques in Flag display


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Flight
(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.


See also
 

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Fly
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)



Larger medfly

A 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:

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."
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Synonyms: Fly
Synonyms: 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)
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Synonyms within Context: Fly
ContextSynonyms 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.
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Crosswords: Fly
English words defined with "fly": Bean fly, Bee fly, Black fly, blow fly, Breeze fly, Brine fly, Buffalo fly ♦ Cabbage fly, Canker fly, chalcis fly, Columbatz fly, Corn fly ♦ Drake fly, dry fly ♦ Ephemeral fly ♦ Fishing fly, flesh fly, fly blind, Fly cap, fly casting, fly contact, Fly fishing, Fly flap, fly poison, Fly press, fly rod, fly tent, Fly wheel, Forest fly ♦ Harpy fly, Hawk fly, hemerobiid fly, Hessian fly, horn fly, Hornet fly, horse fly, House fly ♦ louse fly ♦ Mediterranean fruit fly ♦ Negro fly ♦ pop fly ♦ Radish fly, robber fly ♦ sacrifice fly, Spring fly, Stable fly, stink fly, streamer fly, swamp fly honeysuckle ♦ tachina fly, Telescope fly, To dub a fly, To let fly, tsetse fly, Turnip fly, tzetze fly ♦ warble fly, Warega fly, Wasp fly, wet fly, Willow fly, Wine fly. (references)
Specialty definitions using "fly": BLACK FLY ♦ cementitious fly ash, class C fly ash ♦ Fly a Kite, fly gate, Fly in the Face of Danger, Fly Out at, fly page, FLY SLICERS ♦ horse nasal bot fly, horse nostril fly, human bot fly ♦ macaw worm fly, macaw-worm fly ♦ nasal bot fly ♦ Russian gad fly ♦ screw worm fly, sheep nose fly, sheep nostril fly ♦ torsalo fly, tropical warble fly. (references)
Etymologies containing "fly": Volley. (references)
Non-English Usage: "Fly" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.
Danish (flight), Norwegian (aeroplane, aircraft, airplane, plane), Swedish (escape, flee, fly, fly from, noctuid moth, run away, shun, vanish).
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Modern Usage: Fly
DomainUsage
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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Commercial Usage: Fly
DomainTitle
Books
  • Dog Training, Fly Fishing, And Sharing Christ In The 21st Century Empowering Your Church To Build Community Through Shared Interests (reference)
  • The Best Paper Airplanes You'll Ever Fly (Klutz Guides) (reference)
  • The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference (reference)
  • There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Caldecott Honor Book) (reference)
    (more book examples)
  
Periodicals
  
Theater & Movies
  
Music
  
High Tech
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.
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Image Slideshow: Fly
Photos:
Fly
More pictures...
Illustrations:
Fly
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Computer Images:
Fly
More pictures...
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Photo Album: Fly
ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & 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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Digital Photo Gallery: Fly
 
"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.
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Sounds Captioned with "Fly".
PlayCaption
Fly buzzing around.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.
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Familiar Quotations: Fly
AuthorQuotation
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.
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Historic Usage: Fly
AuthorDateQuotation
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.
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Use in Literature: Fly
TitleAuthorQuote
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.
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Non-Fiction Usage: Fly
SubjectTopicQuote
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.
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Spoken Usage: Fly
SpeakerPhrase(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.
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Speeches: Fly
SpeakerTermPhrase(s)
Thomas Jefferson
1801-1809I 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
1861-1865Whoever rejects it does of necessity fly to anarchy or to despotism.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
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Usage Frequency: Fly
"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 SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words		Rank in English
Lexical Verb (infinitive)61.8%2,0194,277 
Noun (singular)21.19%6929,608 
Lexical Verb (base form)16.09%52511,636 
Noun (proper)0.46%1590,616 
Adjective (general or positive)0.43%1493,893 
Unclassified Items0.03%1339,140 
                    Total100.00%3,267N/A
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
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Name Usage Frequency: Fly
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.
NameUsage/GenderUsage per 100
million Persons		Rank in USA
FlyLast name1,00012,222
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
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Derived & Related Names: Fly
The following table summarizes names derived from the word "fly".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
Baal-zebubN/ABiblical
God of the fly
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
 
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Expressions: Fly
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.
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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Fly
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.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day		ExpressionFrequency
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