fly-by-night

[flahy-bahy-nahyt]

adjective

1. not reliable or responsible, especially in business; untrustworthy.

   a fly-by-night operation.

2. not lasting; brief; impermanent; transitory.

   a fly-by-night theater.

noun

1. a person or thing that is unreliable, especially a debtor who evades or attempts to evade creditors.

2. a person regarded as a poor credit risk.

fly-by-night

adjective

1. unreliable or untrustworthy, esp in finance

2. brief; impermanent

noun

1. an untrustworthy person, esp one who departs secretly or by night to avoid paying debts

2. a person who goes out at night to places of entertainment

fly-by-night

1. Shady or untrustworthy: “Before buying stock in a newly formed company, the prudent investor will check its owners' credentials to make sure it's not a fly-by-night operation.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fly-by-night¹

First recorded in 1790–1800