A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

fly a kite • go fly a kite
fly a kite —
1
. say or do smth. with the intention of testing
other people’s reaction to it: I thought that here I would fly
flapjack
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a kite for a somewhat less-fashionable theory…. 2. (sl.) pass
a worthless check; sell worthless stocks and bonds: Marty was
picked up for flying kites in three different cities. 3. (Under-
world) smuggle a letter into or out of prison: This practice of
“shooting” contraband notes is known among the prisoners as
“flying a kite.”
go fly a kite —(also: go fry an egg ) is used to rudely tell a per-
son to go away and stop being annoying: You are a real bother.
Go fly a kite!
fly boat • flying boat
fly boat—(dated) 
1
. a passenger boat formerly used on canals:
Until the advent of “fly boats” … there was no night working,
with the canals open only from sunrise to sunset. 2. a large
flat-bottomed coasting boat : Captain George Weymouth
made a voyage of discovery to the northwest with two flyboats.
3. a small boat, especially a ship’s boat : We see the vessel
bound for the distant seas hoist sails, while the humble fly-
boat carries to shore those friends…
flying boat—(also: air boat) a seaplane with a boatlike fuse-
lage: Short’s Empire class flying boats fifty years ago could
offer a bed in the air.
fly camp • flying camp
fly camp —a temporary advanced camp at a distance from
a base camp: Hughes moved one helicopter off to the nearest
fly camp, thirty miles southwest.
flying camp —(dated) a body of troops formed for rapid
movement from place to place: An attack was to be made on
the British camp on Staten Island by troops from Mercer’s
flying camp.
fly high • fly low
fly high—
1
. have high ambitions: Ah! My boy, you are flying
high. It is difficult to become a Lord Chancellor. 2. enjoy a
high position in society, at work, etc.: John is flying high after
landing himself a hi-tech job in the computer industry. 3. (sl.)
be drunk or affected by drugs: The guy was on drugs —flying
high and scaring everyone around him.
fly low —
1
. (hyperbolic, coll.) considerably exceed a speed
limit while driving: On the freeway I was flying low — going
about 200 km per hour. Cf.: low flying — driving far exceeding
a speed limit: She can now travel at her own speed, instead of
low flying across Europe with Steve. 2. (euph.) used as a cau-
tion to a man having his trouser zip undone: Someone walks
up to you to quietly whisper in your ear that you are flying
low. 3. (sl.) seek to avoid drawing attention to oneself: She
was flying low when she walked in so they wouldn’t notice
her.