# Expression: "flies in the face of"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expression-flies-in-the-face-of/220310>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 21, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expression-flies-in-the-face-of/220310 "2003-12-21T14:32:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expression-flies-in-the-face-of/220310/1 "2003-12-21T14:32:49Z")

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Is that **flies** as in the present tense of fly, or as in the nasty little insects? Either way this phrase doesn’t make much sense when you think about “flies in the face of” as meaning “is contradictory to the idea of”.

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expression-flies-in-the-face-of/220310/2 "2003-12-21T14:46:18Z")

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I believe it derives from an even older phrase _to fly in the face of danger_ which meant to stupidly run into danger, like a chicken flying in the face of a dog or cat.