Englishdo something by the seat of one's pants
Meaning: To accomplish something by luck and instinct rather than skill.
Example: “We had no rehearsal, so we did the whole show by the seat of our pants.”
Origin: Early aviation slang, from a genuine cockpit skill: pilots flying planes with few or unreliable instruments learned to sense a plane's climbing, turning, or stalling through physical feedback alone — vibration, pressure, the way forces pushed against the body, felt most directly through the seat of the pants against the seat of the plane. The phrase reached wide public use in coverage of Douglas Corrigan's unauthorized 1938 transatlantic flight, though an earlier British version, "fly by the seat of his trousers," suggests the expression started life on the other side of the Atlantic before an American newspaper picked it up that same year with the now-familiar wording. It broadened from literal blind flying to any situation improvised on instinct and feel, with no plan or reliable data to fall back on.
More English idioms
- carry the ball To take on work or responsibility in order to keep a project moving forward.
- cast pearls before swine To offer something to someone who cannot appreciate it.
- catch someone red-handed To catch someone in the act of committing some offense.
- catch someone's fancy To appeal to someone.
- change horses in midstream To change plans or leaders in the middle of some action or event.
- lead a charmed life To be lucky or avoid danger.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Du bist nicht die hellste Kerze auf der Torte You're a little dim — not the smartest in the room.
- Tu as une cervelle de moineau You're scatterbrained and forgetful.
- Без царя в голове (Bez tsarya v golove) Foolish and reckless — with no one in charge upstairs.
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