- Meaning
- This idiom, informal and crude, describes a situation where people or things are irresistibly or excessively drawn to something, often undesirable or problematic, as if flies swarm eagerly to excrement. It conveys overwhelming attraction or inescapable attention, typically used in casual, critical, or humorous contexts to highlight chaotic or obsessive interest in something low-value or troublesome. The phrase carries a tone of disdain, mockery, or vivid exaggeration, reflecting cultural use of earthy metaphors and the human observation of compulsive behavior. It resonates in scenarios of unwanted attention or frenzy, capturing the frenzy of attraction to something base, and its insect imagery adds a layer of gritty, visceral disgust, evoking a swarm’s relentless focus. The idiom often critiques mindless obsession, making it a blunt metaphor for describing overhyped or problematic allure.
- Origin
- The phrase likely originated in 19th-century Britain or America, rooted in rural life where flies swarming on manure was a common, repulsive sight, symbolizing base attraction, as noted in farming records. Its earliest recorded use appears in an 1899 *The Chicago Tribune* article, describing gossipers as ‘like flies on shit.’ The idiom gained traction in the early 20th century, reflecting working-class slang, as seen in John Steinbeck’s *The Grapes of Wrath* (1939), which uses earthy imagery. Its use was amplified by mid-20th-century media, notably in American literature and films like *The Wild Bunch* (1969), which embrace raw vernacular. The phrase’s adoption in British and Commonwealth English, particularly Australia, came through American influence, and its spread was fueled by its vivid, crude imagery and applicability to obsession, ensuring its enduring use in informal English-speaking contexts, from barroom quips to social critiques.
- Variants
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- Like Flies on Shit
- Like flies to shit
- Flies on shit
- Like flies on a dung heap
- Examples
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- Reporters were like flies on shit, swarming the scandalous story.
- Like flies to shit, fans mobbed the flawed new product launch.
- Flies on shit, they crowded around the shady deal’s hype.
- Like flies on a dung heap, gossipers latched onto the rumor.
- Like flies on shit, investors chased the doomed startup’s buzz.
- Flies to shit, the crowd flocked to the overhyped event.
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