winging it
Making it up
Winging it means proceeding without adequate preparation, relying instead on improvisation and quick thinking.
The expression comes from theater, where an unprepared actor might learn lines while standing in the wings before going onstage.
I didn't have time to study, so I'm just winging it on the exam.
The phrase suggests resourcefulness but also risk—you might pull it off brilliantly or fail spectacularly.
- off-the-cuffUnplanned, unrehearsed
- shooting from the hipActing without deliberation
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- ad-libbingUnscripted spontaneous performance
- unrehearsedNot practiced beforehand
making it up · unscripted · extemporize · improvise · playing it by ear · gut feeling · on-the-spot · spontaneous · spur-of-the-moment · unprepared · flying blind · leap of faith · inventiveness · quick-thinking · trial-and-error · roll with it · going with the flow · precariousness
- behaviorshabit, aggressive, agitation, conduct, passive
- improvisationimprovised, impromptu, ad lib, freestyle, ad-lib
- improvisingad-lib, ad-libbing, riff, riffing, jamming
- Unscriptedimprovisation, improv, ad-lib, freestyle, spontaneous
- Spontaneityimpulse, whim, snap decision, sudden urge, on a whim
- unpreparednessunpreparedness, unreadiness, unpracticed, untrained, inexperience
winging itplanning
Arranging for future events
preparing · rehearsing · practicing · cramming · studying
winging itmethodical
Organized and deliberate
systematic · procedural · structured · by the numbers · step-by-step
winging itplaying it safe
Avoiding unnecessary risk
meticulous · thorough · belt and suspenders · risk-averse · precise