on the wing
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
on the wing
Of a bird, in flight or while flying. New research shows that some species of birds can actually sleep on the wing. Birders stand on that viewing platform to watch birds on the wing during their southward migration.
on the wing
Fig. while flying; while in flight. (Usually refers to birds, fowl, etc., not people or planes.) There is nothing as pretty as a bird on the wing. The hawk caught the sparrow on the wing.
on the wing
1. In flight, usually referring to a bird as opposed to a plane. For example, Louise is very good at identifying birds on the wing. [Late 1400s]
2. Active, in motion, as in Coaches are always on the wing, trying to recruit talented athletes. This usage may be obsolescent. [c. 1500]
on the ˈwing
(literary) (of a bird) flyingon the wing
In flight; flying.