fly-on-the-wall

adjective

: having or involving an inconspicuous but effective point of observation
fly-on-the-wall observations of aspects of daily lifeWill Manley

Examples of fly-on-the-wall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Students learn basic ethnographic research methods, including fly-on-the-wall observation and interviewing. Roxanne Varzi, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2024 Here and elsewhere, directors Osborn and Vasquez discretely achieve a riveting fly-on-the-wall intimacy with their subjects, capturing unguarded moments that are by turns affecting and amusing. Joe Leydon, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024 Looking for great fly-on-the-wall looks at subcultures, obsessions, and stories of incredible artistry? Eric Farwell and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2024 Because these conversations were taped as deep background over many hours, and not an hour or two of talk to be immediately funneled into a magazine article, there’s a certain expansive, fly-on-the-wall informality to them, especially when McDowall is in the room and participating. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2024 How does your approach differ from traditional fly-on-the-wall documentaries? Jamie Lang, Variety, 2 Aug. 2024 And that’s where War Game turns into something between a standard fly-on-the-wall documentary paced like a political thriller and a horror movie. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2024 There was a time when many of the unscripted series on Bravo were fly-on-the-wall content. Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024 More The Real World than Love Island, the series often feels like a fly-on-the-wall documentary, content to just sit back and observe as the men of the Green Room get to know each other. Michael Cuby, Them, 19 July 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fly-on-the-wall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fly-on-the-wall was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near fly-on-the-wall

Cite this Entry

“Fly-on-the-wall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fly-on-the-wall. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

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