on the wing
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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.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the ˈwing
(literary) (of a bird) flyingFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the wing
In flight; flying.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.