wing it

Idioms  

1. Improvise, as in The interviewer had not read the author's book; he was just winging it. This expression comes from the theater, where it alludes to an actor studying his part in the wings (the areas to either side of the stage) because he has been suddenly called on to replace another. First recorded in 1885, it eventually was extended to other kinds of improvisation based on unpreparedness.

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Example Sentences

While Darcy Graham's dancing feet threaten on one wing, it was Duhan van der Merwe's power that shrugged off Ellis Mee on the other, creating space for Huw Jones on the outside.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2025

"I'm going to try to get as ready as I can. You can't just wing it."

From Reuters • Oct. 13, 2023

“You can say you’re just gonna wing it, but who really just wings it?”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2023

After spending far more time researching gnudi than I had any intention of spending actually making it, I decided to stride down the middle and pretty much wing it.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2023

I can’t read, so I just try to wing it.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz