fly on the wall

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

fly on the wall (plural flies on the wall)

1. (idiomatic) A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.
   • 1918 August 9, “Clark Would Draft Even Men of 68”, in New York Times, retrieved 28 Oct. 2008, page 11:

     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.

Translations

quiet, non-participating or unseen observer

• Danish: flue på væggen
• Finnish: kärpänen katossa
• French: petite souris (fr) (little mouse)
• German: Mäuschen (de) (little mouse)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: flue på veggen

  Nynorsk: fluge på veggen

• Spanish: agujero en la pared (hole in the wall)
• Swedish: fluga på väggen c