# moonlight flit

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/moonlight-flit
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An act of secretly leaving premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon; hence, any act of escaping at night.

## Examples

- The tenant did a moonlight flit to avoid paying the rent.
- When the landlord arrived to collect the overdue money, he discovered the apartment was empty after the tenant's moonlight flit.
- Fearing the consequences of his mounting debts, he packed his few remaining belongings and performed a desperate moonlight flit under the cover of darkness.

## Origin

From moonlight + flit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.