ˈflaɪɪŋ adj. & n. --adj. 1 fluttering or waving in
the air;
hanging loose. 2
hasty,
brief (a flying visit). 3 designed
for rapid movement. 4 (of an animal)
able to
make very long leaps by using winglike membranes etc. --n. flight,
esp. in an
aircraft. øflying
boat a
seaplane with a boatlike
fuselage. flying
bomb a pilotless aircraft with an
explosive warhead. flying
buttress a buttress slanting
from a
separate column, usu. forming an arch with the
wall it supports. flying
doctor a doctor (esp. in a
large sparsely populated area)
who visits
distant patients by aircraft. flying fish
any tropical fish of the
family Exocoetidae, with winglike
pectoral fins for gliding
through the air. flying
fox any of
various fruit-eating
bats esp. of the
genus Pteropus, with a fox-like
head. flying
lemur either of
two mammals of the genus Cyanocephalus of S. Asia, with a lemur-like
appearance and having a
membrane between the
fore and hind limbs for gliding from
tree to tree. flying
lizard any lizard of the genus Draco, having membranes on elongated ribs for gliding. flying
officer the
RAF rank
next below flight
lieutenant. flying
phalanger any of various phalangers having a membrane between the fore and hind limbs for gliding. flying
picket an
industrial picket
that can be moved rapidly from
one site to
another, esp. to
reinforce local pickets. flying
saucer any
unidentified, esp.
circular, flying
object, popularly supposed to
have come from
space. flying
squad a
police detachment or
other body organized for rapid movement. flying
squirrel any of various squirrels, esp. of the genus Pteromys, with
skin joining the fore and hind limbs for gliding from tree to tree. flying
start 1 a start (of a race etc.) in
which the starting-point is passed at full
speed. 2 a
vigorous start giving an
initial advantage. flying
wing an aircraft with
little or no fuselage and no
tailplane. with flying colours with
distinction.
