I was translating a feature when I encountered by the following sentence:
"The writer resorts wherever possible to fly-on-the-wall (or perhaps that should be  eye-in-the-sky) accounts."
I couldn't figure out what "fly on the wall / eye in  the sky" mean. Can you help please?

 

Hi Yann,

Imagine that you are a fly. You are standing on a wall near to some conversation or exchange. Nobody notices you, but you can see and hear everything that happens.
A fly-on-the-wall account is the kind of account that the fly might give - the account of an invisible observer.

"eye-in-the-sky" is similar. It suggests that an invisible but all-seeing observer is present. The eye-in-the sky tends to have a more "global" view of the situation because the point of view is from higher up. It could also have a slightly "religious" connotation.

there you go,

Cheers,

Liz 

Hi there!

These two expression are two that I don't remember knowing! And I wouldn't have understood them. Thank you, Yann and Liz!