seat-of-the-pants

[seet-uhv-thuh-pants]

adjective

1. using or based on experience, instinct, or guesswork.

   a seat-of-the-pants management style.

2. done without the aid of instruments.

   The pilot made a seat-of-the-pants landing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of seat-of-the-pants¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Bruckheimer remembers the shoot as tough but exhilarating, a product of Scott’s notoriously seat-of-the-pants directing style.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Then, since they don’t use any actual method or research for those judgments, it’s entirely their seat-of-the-pants opinion about what Americans would do.

Read more on Slate

In these journals — a collection of notebooks in Biden’s case — they confide to themselves, express raw opinions, trace even the humdrum habits of their day and offer seat-of-the-pants insight on monumental decisions of their time.

Read more on Seattle Times

Beyond Trump’s built-in advantages, a massive and ongoing effort on his behalf in Iowa reflects the campaign’s realization - especially compared to his seat-of-the-pants 2016 effort - that turning out many thousands of Iowans to caucus on a cold January night requires intense organizing.

Read more on Washington Times

Beyond Trump’s built-in advantages, a massive and ongoing effort on his behalf in Iowa reflects the campaign’s realization — especially compared to his seat-of-the-pants 2016 effort — that turning out many thousands of Iowans to caucus on a cold January night requires intense organizing.

Read more on Seattle Times