spread one's wings

spread one's wings (third-person singular simple present spreads one's wings, present participle spreading one's wings, simple past and past participle spread one's wings)

1. (idiomatic) To experiment in life; to find out what one is capable of; to try new things or activities.

   Synonyms: expand one's wings, stretch one's wings, try one's wings

   • 1957 July, M. D. Greville, “A Diamond Jubilee of Railway Memories”, in Railway Magazine, page 459:

     By this time, largely inspired by The Railway Magazine, I had begun to spread my wings, and had started on a long career of railway exploration.

   • 1980, John Lennon, (Just Like) Starting Over:

     It's time to spread our wings and fly. Don't let another day go by my love

• “spread one’s wings”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “spread your wings”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.