flying visit
1
3.5
- noun
- UK
:
visita fugaz
- A flying visit.
Examples
-
A flying visit.
-
When I think I missed your flying visit after the war, when you brought Jack Smith to the house, I grind my teeth with frustration.
Fiction book (1993) -
No, it's a flying visit.
-
A flying visit, you know, to keep his chin up.
-
Some seagulls paid a flying visit inland.
Fiction book (1997) -
The CEO made a brief stop at the factory for a flying visit before heading to the conference.
-
She only had time for a flying visit to her old school during her trip home.
-
His flying visit to New York lasted just a few hours, but he managed to catch up with many friends.
Synonyms
11
1.4
A short journey to a place and back
2
4.2
A short visit to a place while passing through
Antonyms
How Brief
- UK
1
3.5
11
1.4
- Informal
72
3.6
∞
1.0
2
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a very brief visit' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'flying' (done quickly, brief) with 'visit' (a short call or trip). This adjective+noun compositional pattern is common in English and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Flying visit comes from the picture of something flying in like a bird to make a short visit and then flying away. So it means 'a very brief visit'.