How do you use "fly by the seat of your pants" in a sentence?

We didn't have a guide so we flew by the seat of our pants. The project plan fell apart and we had to fly by the seat of our pants. Early aviators flew by the seat of their pants.

fly by the seat of your pants

Q: What does "fly by the seat of your pants" mean?

improvise without proper preparation To handle a situation by instinct rather than with a plan. From early aviation when pilots flew without instruments.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian Unknown informal

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Meaning: improvise without proper preparation

凭直觉即兴应对

improvisar sin preparación

計画なしに即興でやる

준비 없이 즉흥적으로 하다

To handle a situation by instinct rather than with a plan. From early aviation when pilots flew without instruments.

凭本能而非计划来处理事情。源自早期飞行员没有仪表、凭感觉飞行的时代。

Manejar una situación por instinto en vez de con un plan. Proviene de los primeros tiempos de la aviación, cuando los pilotos volaban sin instrumentos.

計画ではなく直感で物事に対処すること。計器なしで飛行していた初期の航空時代に由来する表現。

계획 없이 직감에 의존하여 상황을 처리하는 것. 계기 없이 비행했던 초기 항공 시대에서 유래했다.

Examples

We didn't have a guide so we flew by the seat of our pants.
我们没有向导，所以只能随机应变。
No teníamos guía, así que tuvimos que improvisar.
ガイドがいなかったので、即興でやるしかなかった。
가이드가 없어서 즉흥적으로 할 수밖에 없었어.
The project plan fell apart and we had to fly by the seat of our pants.
项目计划崩了，我们只好凭直觉来。
El plan del proyecto se vino abajo y tuvimos que improvisar sobre la marcha.
プロジェクト計画が崩壊して、勘に頼るしかなかった。
프로젝트 계획이 무너져서 감으로 해야 했어.
Early aviators flew by the seat of their pants.
早期飞行员全凭感觉飞行。
Los primeros aviadores volaban a ojo.
初期の飛行士たちは勘だけで飛んでいた。
초기 비행사들은 감에만 의존해서 비행했어.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: casual, adventurous

Tone: slightly nervous or proud

✓ Do Say

Describe improvisation
描述即兴应对时使用
para describir la improvisación
即興対応を表現するとき
즉흥적인 대처를 설명할 때

✗ Don't Say

For well-planned activities
不用于有周密计划的活动
No se usa para actividades bien planificadas
きちんと計画された活動には使わない
잘 계획된 활동에는 사용하지 않음

Origin & History

From early aviation when pilots had few instruments and relied on physical sensation through the seat to gauge the plane's movement.

Cultural Context

Era: timeless

Generation: all ages

Social background: all