seat-of-the-pants decision
- noun
- /ˈsiːt əv ðə pænts dɪˈsɪʒən/
- Informal
:
decisión improvisada
- His choice was a seat-of-the-pants decision!
Examples
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The manager made a seat-of-the-pants decision when the data was unavailable.
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Sometimes a seat-of-the-pants decision leads to unexpected success.
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Under pressure, she relied on a seat-of-the-pants decision to solve the problem.
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They made a seat-of-the-pants decision during the meeting.
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Choosing a restaurant for dinner often turns into a seat-of-the-pants decision when we can't agree on a plan.
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When the power went out, our group made a seat-of-the-pants decision to order pizza instead of cooking.
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His approach to investing was often a seat-of-the-pants decision, relying on instincts rather than research.
Synonyms
7
4.2
A quick choice made without thinking that often causes problems
1
5.2
A decision made quickly without careful thought
A decision made immediately with no planning
A choice that is foolish and not well thought out
A very foolish decision that shows little thought
Antonyms
How Planned
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
seat-of-the-pants + decision
The phrase uses a bodily/metaphorical image (the 'seat of the pants') to signal an intuitive or improvised mode of acting, so there is a link to the constituent words but it is indirect and idiomatic. A B1 learner who knows 'seat' and 'pants' might guess a bodily or informal sense but would be unlikely to derive the specific meaning 'made without planning' without prior exposure, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Seat-of-the-pants decision comes from early pilots who had few instruments. One popular story says they judged the plane by the feel in their seat and pants, so they acted by instinct — that's why the phrase means 'a quick decision made without careful planning'.