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Definition 2024


fly_on_the_wall

fly on the wall

English

Noun

fly on the wall (plural flies on the wall)

  1. (idiomatic) A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.
    • 1918, "Clark Would Draft Even Men of 68," New York Times, 9 Aug., p. 11 (retrieved 28 Oct. 2008),
      James W. Gerard, ex-Ambassador to Germany, the first speaker of the evening, said that at that moment he would like to be a fly on the wall of the palace at Potsdam to hear what the Potsdam gang were saying about our soldiers.

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