Definition
Plural of flyman; multiple stagehands responsible for operating flying scenery and overhead rigging in a theater.
Etymology
Regular plural of 'flyman,' formed by changing '-man' to '-men' (from Old English). The term has been standard in theatrical vocabulary since the 17th century. Modern theaters sometimes use the gender-neutral 'fly operator' or 'fly technician' instead.
Kelly Says
The team of flymen backstage operates with military precision—in opera productions, they might coordinate ten different scenic elements flying simultaneously! Their work is often dangerous, requiring intensive training and constant safety protocols.
Translations
ARالعربية
رجال الطيران
rijal at-ti-raan
BNবাংলা
উড়োজাহাজ চালক
oo-ro-ja-haaj cha-alk
CACatalà
homes que volen
ho-mes keh vo-len
DADansk
flyvere
fly-ve-re
DEDeutsch
Flugmänner
floog-men-er
ESEspañol
hombres que vuelan
om-bres keh bwe-lan
FISuomi
lentokoneenkuljettajat
len-to-ko-neen-kul-je-ta-jat
FRFrançais
hommes qui volent
om-shuh kee bwo-lan
HAHA
mutum da ya tashi
mu-tum da ya ta-shi
HIहिन्दी
उड़ने वाले पुरुष
oo-d-ne wa-le poor-ush
HUMagyar
pilóták
pi-lo-ta-k
IDBahasa Indonesia
pria yang terbang
pri-ah yang ter-beng
IGIG
ndị na-ehi
ndi na-ehi
ITItaliano
uomini che volano
oo-o-me-ni keh vo-la-no
KKKK
уçuqшы
oo-ch-oo-sh-y
MSBahasa Melayu
penerbang
pe-ner-bang
MYမြန်မာ
လေကြောင်း လမ်းညွှန်
lay-kyaing lam-nyu-hwan
NLNederlands
vliegers
vlie-gers
NONorsk
flyvere
fly-ve-re
PAPA
ਉਡਣ ਵਾਲੇ
oo-dan-wa-lay
PTPortuguês
homens que voam
oh-mensh keh vo-am
RUРусский
летчики
let-chi-ki
SVSvenska
flygare
fly-ga-re
SWKiswahili
wapanda ndege
wa-pan-da n-de-ge
TEతెలుగు
విమానాధిパイ
vi-ma-na-a-dhi-pai
TLTL
mga piloto
mga pee-lo-to
TRTürkçe
uçan adamlar
oo-chan a-dam-lar
UKУкраїнська
пілоти
pee-lo-ty
VITiếng Việt
người lái máy bay
ngoo-oi lai may-bay
ZUZU
abaphansi
a-ba-fan-si
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Plural of 'flyman'; compounds gendered theater terminology where women have worked in fly systems for decades but nomenclature defaulted to male form.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'fly technicians' or 'fly riggers' for inclusive plural; 'flymen' acceptable historically but obscures modern mixed-gender teams.
Inclusive Alternatives
["fly technicians","fly riggers","flies operators"]