on the fly
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Carried out during the running of a program without interrupting.
Được thực hiện trong khi chương trình đang chạy mà không gián đoạn
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Examples
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Sense 2
getting one’s living by thieving or other illegitimate means; the phrase is applied to men the same as "on the loose" is to women. ON THE FLY also means on the drink.
sống bằng cách trộm cắp hoặc phương tiện bất hợp pháp
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “on the fly” mean?
Carried out during the running of a program without interrupting.
Is “on the fly” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.