We say that we “wing” something when we improvise or perform it without preparation.
Apparently, this phrase has nothing to do with birds. It originated in the late 19th century as theatrical slang and meant to play a role without learning the script, by either relying on a prompter in the wings (sides of a theatre stage unseen by the audience) or studying the part in the wings between scenes. Its more general meaning was acquired in the 1950s.
Examples of use:
“Are you the proud owner of a mountain of cookbooks but still feel like you’re winging it in the kitchen?”
“At the start, I just winged it but then I started going to circus school in Derry.”
“I went online to look for some recipes because I just didn’t want to wing it anymore.”
[1] Cresswell, Julia. “wing” In The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Photo credit: Phil Dolby
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