fly-by-night

fly-by-night
   1. an absconding debtor
   Not from a witch, on or off her broomstick, or from the ominous bird, also known as the whistler or gobbleratch, whose nocturnal flight presaged imminent death, nor even the tourist on a package holiday on the cheapest ticket, but the tenant with unpaid rent who took his goods with him to prevent distraint by the landlord. Now standard English for anyone who is financially unreliable.
   See also moonlight flit.
   2. drunk
   Rhyming slang for tight1, with perhaps a sideswipe at the unreliability of drunkards.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • fly-by-night — ˈfly by night adjective [only before a noun] informal a fly by night company or businessperson is not reliable and is only interested in making a quick profit and then disappearing: • The authority requires surety bonds of $50,000 from health… …   Financial and business terms

  • Fly by Night — Studioalbum von Rush Veröffentlichung Februar 1975 Label Mercury Records …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Fly By Night — Ventes USA 1 million LP par Rush Date de sortie février 1975 Enregistré 1974 Musiciens Geddy Lee : Guitar …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • fly-by-night — fly′ by night adj. 1) not reliable or well established, esp. in business, and primarily interested in making a quick profit: a fly by night operation[/ex] 2) not lasting; impermanent; transitory 3) a debtor who attempts to evade creditors 4) a… …   From formal English to slang

  • fly-by-night — fly by ,night adjective INFORMAL a fly by night company or businessman cannot be trusted because they are dishonest or may fail ╾ fly by ,night noun count …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • fly-by-night — fly by .night adj [only before noun] informal a fly by night company or businessman is one that you cannot trust because they have only been in business for a short time and are only interested in making quick profits …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • fly-by-night — fly by night; fly by night·er; …   English syllables

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