Where does the term “hit” come from?

Meaning that one has reached one’s goal or touched a desired point, the expression “hit the bull’s eye” can however question its relationship with the undesirable insect.

The expression is well known, and we can even attribute a certain number of uses to it. “Hit the bull’s eye” is a formula that is generally used to describe a success, with this one taking different forms. For example, we can say that we “hit the mark” by correctly aiming a cup with a ball.

“Fly”: an expression reflecting a goal, physical or not

It is also not impertinent to use this expression to designate the fact of having succeeded in destabilizing a person. We will thus have “hit the mark” by managing to find the sensitive point of this interlocutor. But in one case as in the other, nothing seems to justify the reference to an insect making almost the unanimity on its harmful character.

A 19th century origin

The expression “to fly” is relatively recent since it was born in the 19th century, that is to say about two decades ago. What is it based on? Literally, on a target. Whether it’s archery, darts or rifle shooting, the person holding his weapon or his projectile must make a cardboard on this support. And to help differentiate the good shooters from the less gifted, this target takes the form of a circle with concentric circles.

The importance of distance

If one moves away from this target, the point located in its center, the one to reach in priority, is reduced until becoming a spot similar to a fly. It will however be agreed that the center of the targets is not always black but yellow. Still, at the time when the expression was born, this point was often a priori dark.