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fly

fly

2 8.4
A piece of canvas that covers the tent entrance
  • noun
  • /flaɪ/
: toldo
  • During our trip, we accidentally tore the fly on our tent while setting it up.
  • a tent fly
  • a rain fly
  • attach the fly

Examples

  • Every garrison required "camp equipage" such as tents and flies (tarpaulins), camp kettles, and mess tins, as well as building tools and materials.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Make sure to secure the fly tightly to keep out any bugs while you sleep.

  • "The tent was a reed caddis fly, big enough for three, though not with room to stand.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • This also has a 70 denier, high-density, abrasion-resistant fly with that same rip stop weave.

  • The campers struggled to attach the fly before the rain started pouring down.

Synonyms

tent flap
vsfly
1 2.9

A piece of cloth like a door that opens and closes at a tent entrance

is the technical term for that same panel
tent-fly
vsfly
6.7

A flap of fabric that opens to let people into a tent

is the general term used for that same canvas flap
fly sheet
vsfly
  • UK
6.8

A flap of cloth over a tent entrance that keeps out rain and insects

is the basic flap idea without stressing the attachment detail

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To shut something so it is not open

Idioms

on the fly
  • Informal
25 5.3

Quickly while you do something, without planning

Openly oppose something, often against common sense or tradition

A person who watches a situation without being noticed

to hurt a fly
  • Informal
8 5.1

Be so gentle that you do not harm even a fly

8 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

6 5.9

To avoid being noticed by other people

Start to behave properly and follow rules

4 6.9

A small problem that spoils an otherwise good situation

to fly the coop
  • Informal
4 7.9

To leave a place suddenly without permission

Show your true self to others, even if it seems strange

on the fly
  • Specialized
1 4.6

Created while a computer program runs, not prepared before

To make quick decisions without a plan

the feathers fly
  • Informal
1 9.8

A situation where people argue angrily and things become chaotic

1 9.9

A small problem that spoils a good situation

pigs might fly
  • Informal
1 9.8

A phrase people say to show something is very unlikely to happen

1 8.6

To openly go against usual rules or advice

Says an angry argument is likely to happen

Compounds

21 2.6

A small flying insect whose young eat and spoil ripe or rotten fruit

18 3.7

To fish with a rod and line using small fake flies as bait

fly ball
  • Specialized
15 3.1

A ball hit high into the air in baseball

fly-by-night
  • Offensive
9 8.9

Not reliable and likely to disappear quickly, often for dishonest reasons

4 9.7

A small bright green beetle from southern Europe that makes a liquid causing blisters

sacrifice fly
  • Jargon
4 6.7

A caught fly ball that lets a player on base score while it puts the batter out

fly-by
  • US
4 7.5

A low flight by military planes over people watching on the ground

fly rod
  • Specialized
4 4.6

A long, flexible fishing rod used to cast light flies for fishing

pop fly
  • Jargon
3 5.8

A high ball hit in baseball or softball that is easy to catch

tsetse fly
  • South African
3 8.7

A large African fly that bites people and animals and causes sleeping sickness

2 6.6

A small dark insect that bites people and animals and makes itchy red spots

1 6.6

A small insect that bites people in warm places and can spread disease

1 7.2

A large fly with a shiny blue-green body that lays eggs on dead animals and in wounds

1 8.6

A small insect near water whose young are used for fishing bait

dry fly
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A small fake insect that floats on the water to attract fish

fly casting
  • Specialized
1 5.2

The use of a special rod and line to throw a small fake fly into water to catch fish

fly ash
  • Specialized
1 6.7

Fine light dust that rises when fuel burns, often in power plants

1 3.7

A large fast insect whose female bites animals for blood

Hessian fly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small fly whose young eat and damage wheat and other cereal crops

1 9.9

A poisonous mushroom with a bright red cap covered in white dots that grows in forests

flesh fly
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A fly whose young eat the flesh of dead or living animals

A small black and white fly whose young eat the inside of fruit

fly gallery
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A narrow high platform at the side of a stage where crew work with ropes and equipment

1 5.1

A small fly near water that bites people and animals painfully

1 1.6

A small common fly that lives in houses and can spread disease

bar fly
  • Slang
1 8.1

A person who spends a lot of time drinking at bars

stone fly
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A winged insect that lives near streams and whose young live under stones in water

1 7.3

A small delicate insect with thin net-like wings whose young eat garden pests like aphids

1 8.8

A small insect with wings like a moth whose larvae live in water and build cases from sand and plants

1 5.6

A long thin fly with very long legs that looks like a large mosquito but does not bite

pop-fly
  • Jargon
1 5.7

A ball hit high into the air near home plate that is easy to catch

shoo fly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A South American herb with blue and white flowers and a papery round fruit

wet fly
  • Specialized
1 7.4

An artificial bait that sinks and moves below the water to attract fish

streamer fly
  • Jargon
1 8.9

A fishing lure with long wings that extend past the hook to look like a small fish

1 9.8

An insect that eats insects, with a long beak and antennae, whose males have a curved tail like a scorpion

warble fly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A hairy fly like a bee whose young insects make lumps under the skin of cows

1 8.7

A hairy fly that looks like a bee and whose young eat baby bees

1 7.0

An opening in a skirt or trousers with a hidden zipper

robber fly
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A large fast fly that catches other insects in the air and drinks their juices

1 8.4

A small fly that lays eggs on rotting fruit or open jars of sweet food

fly-by-night
  • Offensive
1 8.6

A person or business that disappears to avoid paying debts

1 9.9

A pale green fly that gives off a bad smell and whose young eat insects that harm plants

1 6.5

A tent with an extra cover at the front that protects from rain and sun

horn fly
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A small black fly that sucks blood from cows near their horns

fly bridge
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A small open deck above the ship's control room for steering and a better view

1 9.5

A small flying insect whose young are used as bait for fish

fly poison
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A poisonous plant with bulbs that people once used to kill flies

deer fly
  • Jargon
1 6.1

A small fake insect tied to a fishing line to attract fish

louse fly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small insect that sucks blood and lives in feathers or fur

1 9.4

A winged insect like a dragonfly whose young dig small cone-shaped pits in sand to trap ants and other insects

A small insect like a moth whose young live in water and build protective cases from stones and plants

A small moth-like insect whose young live in water and build cases from pebbles and plants

A small moth-like insect whose young live in water and build cases from sand and plants

chalcid fly
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small wasp that lays eggs in other insects' eggs or young and helps control pests

chalcis fly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wasp that lays eggs inside other insects so its young eat them

deer fly fever
  • Specialized
9.9

A fever people can catch from ticks, flies, or touching infected wild animals like rabbits

dobson fly
  • Specialized
9.9

Large insect with a soft body and long jaws whose young live in water and are used as fishing bait

9.9

A dark insect whose young live in water and eat other small animals

7.9

A North American bush with pale yellow flowers and berries eaten by birds

A small shrub with pairs of yellowish-white flowers and bright red berries often grown in gardens

A North American bush that loses its leaves in winter and has upright stems and pale yellow flowers

fly floor
  • Specialized
9.9

A narrow high platform at the side of a stage where crew use ropes to move scenery above it

fly frame
  • Archaic
9.4

A machine in a textile mill that twists stretched fibres into loose thread

9.8

A small plant in Europe with flowers that look like flies

fly press
  • Specialized
8.4

A machine that uses a heavy wheel and a screw to push and shape metal

6.8

A flap of cloth over a tent entrance that keeps out rain and insects

A large tropical insect with bright colors and a long nose once thought to glow

A large tropical insect with bright colors and a long snout, once thought to give light

long fly
  • Archaic
9.3

A long jump from a vaulting horse in gymnastics

A small green insect with thin wings and shiny gold eyes that eats garden pests

A small shiny green fly often found near garbage or dead meat

harvest fly
  • Archaic
8.1

A loud insect that sings in summer, often in July and August

hanging fly
  • Specialized
9.9

A slender insect with long legs that hangs from plants to catch other small insects

Surface Forms

fly singular
flies plural

Etymology

Fly of a tent is a piece of cloth that covers the tent like a 'flap', and the word comes from the idea of a cloth that lies over and protects the tent from rain and wind.