flying fox

Noun

flying fox (plural flying foxes)

1. A large Australasian bat, of the genera Pteropus or Acerodon in the family Pteropodidae, having a fox-like face.
   • In the small hours came the fetid smell of a flying-fox colony.1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 64
2. Any bat of the family Pteropodidae (see Usage notes).
3. A cyprinid fish of species Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus.
4. A device consisting of a chair suspended on a pulley, and running along a length of cable, used for transporting across ravines etc.

   Synonyms:

   zipline

5. A cable-operated gyroscopic camera that is suspended on a ropeway, used in filming motion pictures and sporting events.