fly-by-night
[ flahy-bahy-nahyt ]
/ ˈflaɪ baɪˌnaɪt /
adjective
not reliable or responsible, especially in business; untrustworthy: a fly-by-night operation.
not lasting; brief; impermanent; transitory: a fly-by-night theater.
noun Also fly-by-night·er.
a person or thing that is unreliable, especially a debtor who evades or attempts to evade creditors.
a person regarded as a poor credit risk.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of fly-by-night
First recorded in 1790–1800
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fly-by-night
British Dictionary definitions for fly-by-night
fly-by-night
/ informal /
adjective
unreliable or untrustworthy, esp in finance
brief; impermanent
noun Also: fly-by-nighter
an untrustworthy person, esp one who departs secretly or by night to avoid paying debts
a person who goes out at night to places of entertainment
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fly-by-night
fly-by-night
1796, slang, said to be an old term of reproach to a woman signifying that she was a witch; extended 1823 to "anyone who departs hastily from a recent activity," especially while owing money. The two senses involve the two verbs fly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for fly-by-night
fly-by-night
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.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.