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The inexperienced and reckless pilot Trump is flying the USA by the seat of his pants, which are constantly on fire ... "
Amelia Mary Earhart 


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fly by the seat of one's pants

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 English

 Verb

 fly by the seat of one's pants

 1.(idiomatic) To pilot an aircraft without the aid of instruments and without a flight plan, using only instinct, visual observation, and practical judgment. ;

 2.(idiomatic, by extension) To use one's judgment, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan.

 Synonyms
 (improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan): play by ear, wing it

 Related terms
 seat-of-the-pants


 Categories: English lemmas
 English verbs
 English idioms

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 seat–of–the–pants

 adjective

 Popularity: Bottom 10% of words

 Definition of seat–of–the–pants :
 employing or based on personal experience, judgment, and effort rather than technological aids or formal theory

•seat–of–the–pants navigation •a seat–of–the–pants decision

 See seat–of–the–pants defined for English-language learners

 First Known Use of seat–of–the–pants
 1942


 SEAT–OF–THE–PANTS Defined for English Language Learners


 seat–of–the–pants

 adjective

 Definition of seat–of–the–pants for English Language Learners

 done or made by using your own judgment and feelings without planning, preparation, or help from others


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What is the history behind the children's phrase 'liar, liar, pants on fire'?

submitted 3 years ago by suspicious-steve


Is it simply rhyme? Or does it have some historical connotations in regards to it

The phrase may have some siblings. In Georgia (the country in the South Caucasus, not the American state), a common trope in folk tales involves a thief's hat catching on fire. If a community is trying to find a thief, everyone looks at their neighbors' hats, because the thief's hat will catch on fire.

Great question. This website indicates that the phrase, with its subsequent "hanging on a telephone wire," is a paraphrase of the 1810 poem, "The Liar," by William Blake. While that may be the answer, I suspect there may be an older origin lurking about. What after all, inspired Blake to refer to trousers on fire? Perhaps Blake is the source, or perhaps he was responding to the children's rhyme, which was already used. And perhaps someone in Reddit world can give us an earlier instance of the phrase.

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Amelia Mary Earhart  July 24, 1897 – disappeared July 2, 1937) was an American aviation pioneer and author.[1][N 1] Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.[3][N 2] She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this accomplishment.[5] She set many other records,[2] wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.[6] In 1935, Earhart became a visiting faculty member at Purdue University as an advisor to aeronautical engineering and a career counselor to women students. She was also a member of the National Woman's Party and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.
During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.