Fly by the Seat of Your Pants.
English
idiom
To rely on instinct rather than planning or knowledge.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To rely on instinct rather than planning or knowledge.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To do something using instinct and quick thinking rather than a plan.
When you fly by the seat of your pants, you improvise and figure things out as you go, without preparation.
It can be exhilarating but also risky.
"Wing It"
—
To improvise — very similar, but flying by the seat of your pants implies more urgency or risk
"Go with the Flow"
—
Adapting to whatever happens, more relaxed and deliberate, less urgent
"Fly by the Seat of Your Pants"
—
Improvising and making quick decisions with no prior plan or preparation
The supplier just cancelled — I'm flying by the seat of my pants here.
Tell me what you need. Let's figure this out together.
Did you prepare much for the interview?
Barely — I pretty much flew by the seat of my pants.
How did you manage the whole trip with no plan?
Flew by the seat of my pants the entire time — and it was amazing.
