fly on the wall

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To join an otherwise private interaction, unnoticed to watch and/or listen to something.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tham gia và quan sát một cuộc trao đổi riêng tư

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English
Sources & notes

Imported from Wikipedia “English-language idioms” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29), pending review.

Common questions

What does “fly on the wall” mean?

To join an otherwise private interaction, unnoticed to watch and/or listen to something.

Is “fly on the wall” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.