English

Phrase

no flies on

1. (idiomatic) No mental weaknesses, character defects, or other significant flaws belonging to.
   • 1899, Grant Allen, Miss Cayley's Adventures, ch. 3:

     "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!"

   • 1909, William Dean Howells, A Hazard of New Fortunes, ch. 5:

     I give you my word that there are no flies on his personal integrity, if that's what you mean.

   • 1914, Peter B. Kyne, The Long Chance, ch. 13:

     "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."

   • 1915, John Galsworthy, The Little Man, sc. 1:

     GERMAN. Wait! You are a young people.

     AMERICAN. That is so; there are no flies on us.

   • 2000 June 3, James Brooke, "A Budget Canadian Carrier Brings Back the Friendly Skies," New York Times (retrieved 31 Oct 2013):

     "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.

Usage notes

• Now usually used to suggest that a person is particularly alert, clever, or energetic.
• Often used in the construction "There are no flies on him/her/them".

References

• no flies on at OneLook Dictionary Search