This is the English we speak.
With me, Fay Fei and me Phil.
We'Re going to look at an adjective about organisations and people that are difficult to trust.
Fly by night.
Fly by night is a compound adjective that literally means something that flies in the night.
Yes.
Fly by night originally described companies who would disappear overnight, so taking all the money they owed with them.
It's usually used before a noun.
My friend bought a second hand car last month.
It's already broken down, but the company has disappeared.
Are they a fly by night company?
Yes.
We can use it more generally to talk about companies or people who are unreliable or difficult to trust.
If it looks like someone is running a fly by night operation, it's best to avoid them.
Listen to these examples.
I applied for a job, but when I went for the interview it looked like a fly by night company.
So I turned them down.
The agent I bought the ticket from was a fly by night operator.
Once I got to the airport, I couldn't get any help.
I got my roof fixed, but it was a real fly by night job.