by the seat of the pants
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I think it’s going to be a little bit by the seat of the pants because there’s no formula to go by,” Popovich said.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2021
The Red Storm and its fans are about to be welcomed into Lav’s World, where wedding plans are not the only decisions that are made by the seat of the pants.
From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2010
When timbermen tried to go on their own lands, they were seized by the officious Marine guards of the camp and escorted off by the seat of the pants.
From Time Magazine Archive
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One Justice Department spokesman admits that much of the navigating has to be done by the seat of the pants.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Jimmy never knew exactly what happened in the next few seconds, but he heard people shouting, and then something struck him and he was dragged violently away by the seat of the pants.
From Pieces of Hate And Other Enthusiams by Broun, Heywood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.