catch flies

The idiom "catch flies" has multiple meanings, primarily related to having one's mouth open or causing distraction.

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πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

B2General

(informal, idiomatic)To have one's mouth wide open for a prolonged period, often due to amazement or inattentiveness.

Example

  • Close your mouth, or you'll catch flies!

C1Theater

(informal, idiomatic)For an actor to distract the audience by moving or gesturing when the focus should be elsewhere.

Example

  • The director warned him not to catch flies during the performance.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "catch flies":

fly uponforest flydance flyfly bywet flyfly outdeer flyfly offcatch itstable flylet flyfly in the buttermilkvinegar flybat awayfly a kitecatch stepfly linefruit flycatch and releasefly lowfly sheetfish upcatch the sunon the flyfly balldrain flya closed mouth catches no fliescum catcherflying fishfly high