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

After beginning his career as a wing, it will be the fourth time that Rees-Zammit has started at full-back for Wales after making three appearances there during the 2022-23 season.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

If you want to maintain any sort of surprise, you just have to wing it sometimes and hope your instincts are right.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Francis said last week there just wasn’t time to completely round out the staff — remember, Hakstol was only hired three months before 2021 training camp — and they’d tried unsuccessfully to wing it.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 25, 2023

"The physics tells us that to get a more fuel-efficient wing it needs to be longer and more slender. That means we need to increase the span of the wing," Partridge said.

From Reuters • Jul. 4, 2023

“Thanks to your help. Without the lion's wing it would have been just a merry-go-round, but now...”

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke