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- DictionaryFly-by-night/ˈflībīˌnīt/
adjective
- 1. unreliable or untrustworthy, especially in business or financial matters: "cheap suits made by fly-by-night operators"
noun
- 1. an unreliable or untrustworthy person.
The meaning of FLY-BY-NIGHT is one that seeks to evade responsibilities and especially creditors by flight. How to use fly-by-night in a sentence.
fly-by-night | American Dictionary. adjective [ not gradable ] disapproving us / ˈflɑɪ·bɑɪˌnɑɪt / Add to word list. ( esp. of a business) not able to be trusted, and likely to stop operating without any notice: a fly-by-night operation. (Definition of fly-by-night from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
A ‘fly-by-night’ is someone who attempts to evade responsibilities or debts by absconding under cover of darkness. Typically, this may be covertly moving out pf a property to avoid paying the rent. More generally, ‘fly-by-night’ is applied to any person or business of a poor ‘here today; gone tomorrow’ reputation.
fly-by-night. An unreliable or irresponsible individual, particularly one not to be trusted in business dealings. Originating in the late eighteenth century to describe a person who evades creditors by sneaking away at night, this expression is now used both as a noun and as an adjective.
The phrase “fly-by-night” is a common idiom used in English to describe someone or something that is unreliable, untrustworthy, or fleeting. The origins of this expression can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was first used to describe nocturnal insects that were difficult to catch due to their quick movements.
Fly-by-night definition: not reliable or responsible, especially in business; untrustworthy. See examples of FLY-BY-NIGHT used in a sentence.
4 days ago · 1. unreliable or untrustworthy, esp in finance. 2. brief; impermanent. noun also: fly-by-nighter. 3. an untrustworthy person, esp one who departs secretly or by night to avoid paying debts. 4. a person who goes out at night to places of entertainment.
