fly2
• noun (pl. flies) 1 a flying insect of a large order characterized by a single pair of transparent wings and sucking or piercing mouthparts. 2 used in names of other flying insects, e.g. dragonfly. 3 a fishing bait consisting of a mayfly or other natural or artificial flying insect. — PHRASES a fly in the ointment a minor irritation that spoils the enjoyment of something. fly on the wall an unnoticed observer. there are no flies on &em;&em; the person specified is quick and astute. — ORIGIN Old English, related to FLY1.
Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary
About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day
Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names
| 
