fly on the wall
12
5.8
- idiom
- Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Jose had to explain himself to his boss.
- a fly on the wall in meetings
Examples
-
Bankers would pay good money to be flies on the wall for this conversation.
Blog text (3) -
Finally, as part of a research project, I was able to become that fly on the wall as I videotaped a number of students while they practiced and talked about their decision-making processes.
Academic text (2011) -
Wish I was a fly on the wall.
-
I felt like I was a fly on the wall listening to an interesting bar conversation.
Blog text (11) -
I know I've often wanted to be a fly on the wall.
Blog text (5) -
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Madonna's house right now!
Blog text (4) -
I would love to be a fly on the wall at Verizon Wireless right now.
Blog text (19) -
As a middle school band teacher, I often wondered what it would be like if I were a fly on the wall watching my students practice their instruments.
Academic text (2011) -
I would dearly love to be a fly on the wall during one of the Boisset marketing and event meetings.
Blog text (20) -
I would love to be a fly on the wall in that meeting to hear their thoughts.
Synonyms
89
3.9
A person who watches a place or people to keep them safe
84
3.4
A person who watches an event but does not take part
24
3.2
A person who watches something without taking part
12
7.7
A person who hides to watch others without being seen
Antonyms
How Involved
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the literal image of a small insect sitting on a wall and observing unnoticed, so a learner who knows 'fly', 'on' and 'wall' can readily infer 'an unobtrusive observer'. This image-based, compositional metaphor is straightforward and mirrored in many languages, making the meaning predictable for B1 learners.
Etymology
Fly on the wall gives a clear picture: imagine a small fly sitting on a wall, quietly watching people and not being seen. That's why it means 'to watch without being noticed or taking part'.