Meanings
plural flies on the wall
- idiomaticA quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.
I wish I'd been a little fly on his chamber wall when he found out that he had to go through the Michigan Child Custody Act!
1979 February 3, Jil Clark, quoting Margareth Miller, “Major Court Decision Allows Lesbian Mother to Retain Custody”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 27, page 11 more example
James W. Gerard, ex-Ambassador to Germany, the first speaker of the evening, said that at that moment he would like to be a fly on the wall of the palace at Potsdam to hear what the Potsdam gang were saying about our soldiers.
1918 August 9, “Clark Would Draft Even Men of 68”, in New York Times, retrieved 28 Oct 2008, page 11
Translations
Danish flue på væggen
- flue på væggenquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
Finnish kärpänen katossa
- kärpänen katossaquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
French petite souris
- petite sourisquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
German Mäuschen
- Mäuschenquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
Norwegian Bokmål flue på veggen
- flue på veggenquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
Spanish agujero en la pared
- agujero en la paredquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
Swedish fluga på väggen
- fluga på väggenquiet, non-participating or unseen observer
Cite this entry
fly on the wall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20on%20the%20wall
“fly on the wall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20on%20the%20wall. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fly on the wall,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20on%20the%20wall.
Source: fly on the wall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.