fly on the wall

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Noun

fly on the wall (plural flies on the wall)

(idiomatic) A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.
- 1918, "Clark Would Draft Even Men of 68," New York Times, 9 Aug., p. 11 (retrieved 28 Oct. 2008),
  James W. Gerard, ex-Ambassador to Germany, the first speaker of the evening, said that at that moment he would like to be a fly on the wall of the palace at Potsdam to hear what the Potsdam gang were saying about our soldiers.

Translations

quiet, non-participating or unseen observer

French: petite souris (fr) (little mouse)
German: Mäuschen (de) (little mouse)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: flue på veggen

Nynorsk: fluge på veggen

Spanish: agujero en la pared (hole in the wall)

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