by the seat of one's pants

/baɪ ðə sˈiːt ɒv wˈɒnz pˈants/

/baɪ ðə sˈiːt ʌv wˈʌnz pˈænts/

by the seat of one's pants

in a way that solely relies on one's intuition or personal judgment rather than the necessary knowledge, tools, etc.

fly by the seat of one's pants

/flˈaɪ baɪ ðə sˈiːt ɒv wˈɒnz pˈants/

/flˈaɪ baɪ ðə sˈiːt ʌv wˈʌnz pˈænts/

to fly by the seat of one's pants

to do something by solely relying on one's instincts, due to a lack of proper knowledge or experience

Examples

1. I got through school by the seat of my pants.

2. We started a magazine by the seat of our pants, without any of the market testing that’s done today.

3. I was flying by the seat of my pants because I'd never managed anybody before.

4. There were no rules, there was no script, we were just flying by the seat of our pants.