catch flies

verb

To have one's mouth wide open for a prolonged period.

“You'd better close your mouth; are you trying to catch flies?”

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Meanings

verbcatch flies (third-person singular simple present catches flies, present participle catching flies, simple past and past participle caught flies)

present singular third person catches flies · participle present catching flies · participle past caught flies · past caught flies

  1. idiomaticTo have one's mouth wide open for a prolonged period.

    You'd better close your mouth; are you trying to catch flies?

  2. informalentertainmentOf an actor: to distract the audience by moving or gesturing when the focus should be elsewhere.
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see catch, fly.
Cite this entry
APA

catch flies. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20flies

MLA

“catch flies.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20flies. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catch flies,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20flies.

Source: catch flies on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.