Slang definitions & phrases for fly by the seat of one's pants
fly by the seat of one's pants
verb phrase
To pilot an airplane by feel and instinct rather than by instruments: The old-time barnstormers had to fly by the seat of their pants(1930s+ Aviators)
To proceed or work by instinct and improvisation, without formal guides or instructive experience: The teachers are not trained to recognize it. They're flying by the seat of their pants/ Every case is different, and every investigator ends up flying by the seat of his (or her) pants(1970s+)
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D. Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers. Cite This Source
