English Explanatory Dictionary

on a wing and a prayer

English dictionary entry

Meanings

prep_phrase
  1. With the hope of averting disaster despite a desperate situation teetering on failure.

Word forms

on a wing and a prayer

Etymology

Describes a damaged warplane barely able to return to base, possibly originating in the film Flying Tigers (1942) in which the dialog refers to a flight as “coming in on one wing and a prayer”, made popular by the World War II song “Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer” with lyrics by Harold Adamson.

Synonyms

on a whim and a prayer
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