no flies on en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
A litotes suggesting one is not torpid enough to have flies settle.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) No mental weaknesses, character defects, or other significant flaws belonging to.
"He knows what we want, you bet" he whispered. "No flies on that preacher. I like him. I like any man who can do things without a diagram and directions for using."
1914, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 13, in The Long Chance:"I see," I said. He cocked his head toward me. There weren't any flies on Alf. He had caught more in my tone than I had realized was there.
1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 130:"WestJet is tightly run, well managed, there are no flies on those guys," said Harry Gow, a board member of the Canadian Association of Airline Passengers.
2000 June 3, James Brooke, “A Budget Canadian Carrier Brings Back the Friendly Skies”, in New York Times, retrieved 31 Oct 2013:I give you my word that there are no flies on his personal integrity, if that's what you mean.
1909, William Dean Howells, chapter 5, in A Hazard of New Fortunes:"You're jest about the very woman I'm looking for, miss. Lithe—that's what I call you. I kin put you in the way of making your pile, I kin. This is a bonâ-fide offer. No flies on my business!"
1899, Grant Allen, chapter 3, in Miss Cayley's Adventures:GERMAN. Wait! You are a young people. AMERICAN. That is so; there are no flies on us.
1915, John Galsworthy, The Little Man, sc. 1: