Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a phr. implying the smartness and imperviousness to trickery of the speaker or subject; usu. as no flies on me/him/her etc.

1848		H.W. Haygarth Recollections of Bush Life in Aus. 101: ‘It’s lucky we got them,’ said Amos; ‘there were ‘no flies’* about that black bull.’ (*This expression is very common in Australia, and is apparently borrowed from the American expression ‘no snakes’) .
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1887		H. Frederic Seth’s Brother’s Wife 113: Great old man, that [...] there’s no flies on him!
1887		W.T. Call Josh Hayseed in N.Y. 63: There ain’t no pertater bugs on you, Uncle Josh.
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Gaz. 2 Mar. 37/2: [H]e would be horrified if we used an Amricanism ans said ‘There ain’t no flies on him’.
1890		Sporting Times 12 Apr. 1/4: Dear friends, there are no flies on that Easter!
1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 6 Sept. 2/3: N.B. — This is not intended as a slur on the [Salvation] Army lasses. There are no flies about the S.A.
[1890		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 22 May 3/1: There were no bacteria on [...] two pretty Petaluma girls who recently read the riot act to a brace of thieves ].
[1894		H. Lawson ‘O’Hara, J.P.’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 271: And twice-elected as Mayor was he— / The flies couldn’t roost on O’Hara, J.P].
1897		Leader (Melbourne) 27 Nov. 20/3: ‘Strike me up a sheoak, there ain’t “no flies” as I kin see on them two blokes thet’s battin’!’ .
[1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 27 Oct. 15/1: I don’t believe in bloomin’ blokes, / Wat’s always spinnin’ lies; / These ’ere are sollum facts, these is, / On which there ain’t no flies].
1902		P.L. Dunbar Jest Of Fate (1903) 96: You kin bet your life they ain’t no flies on N’Yawk.
1915		‘Ian Hay’ First Hundred Thousand (1918) 238: There are no flies on our Divisional Artillery.
[1916		‘Anzac’ On the Anzac Trail 24: The officials [...] knew their work, too, and didn't grow flies].
1922		E. Dyson Missing Link 🌐 Ch. xv: Good enough. There’s no ticks on you, you’re a stoodent, I can see.
1927		C. Sandburg Amer. Songbag 196: I have converts sing: ‘There are flies on you, There are flies on me, But there ain’t no flies on Jesus.’.
1932		(con. WWI) L. Mann Flesh in Armour 305: They admitted, though, there were few flies on him.
1938		W. Watson Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (2000) 23: I haven’t taken any yet. If I did, Michael might see. There’s no flies on Michael.
1945		Baker Aus. Lang. 90: And from countrymen in general [...] no flies about, wide awake, alert.
1948		C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 61: There are no flies on Rickie.
1959		A. Anderson ‘Big Boy’ in Lover Man 55: ‘Ain’t no flies on me,’ Big Boy said.
1961		B. Crump Hang On a Minute, Mate (1963) 92: No flies on old Fred, eh!
[1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 11: A real hot Go-getter. Flies won’t grow on our ‘Herm’!!].
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 31: You’re a cunning devil, Ed. No flies on you I can see that.
1988		R. Doyle Commitments 27: There were no flies on Derek’s ma.
1989		M. Walker How to Kiss a Crocodile 14: Anyway, there were no flies on my mate Will.
1993		Smith & Noble Neddy (1998) 258: Harold quickly offered to drive him to pick up the money. There were no flies on Harold.
2000		M. Amis Experience 344: I bet there are no flies on Bernard.
2009		J. Joso Soothing Music for Stray Cats 35: No flies on you, Nan.
2017		A. Parks Bloody January 104: ‘No fucking flies on you. Too smart for the likes of us’.