As the crow flies

As the crow flies
For other uses, see As the Crow Flies (disambiguation).

"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.

An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S. state of Florida where the direct route by road is about 792 mi (1,275 km) and the direct point-to-point aerial transit path that might be taken by a crow is 524 mi (843 km).

The phrase is attested in print as early as 1800.[1]

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001). "Crow (n.)". Crow (n.). http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=As+the+crow+flies. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Way the Crow Flies — is a novel by Canadian writer Ann Marie MacDonald. It was first published by Knopf Canada in 2003. The plot of the novel revolves around a fictionalized version of the Steven Truscott case and is set for the most part at a real Royal Canadian Air …   Wikipedia

  • As the crow flies — Crow Crow, n. [AS. cr[=a]we a crow (in sense 1); akin to D. kraai, G. kr[aum]he; cf. Icel. kr[=a]ka crow. So named from its cry, from AS. cr[=a]wan to crow. See {Crow}, v. i. ] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) A bird, usually black, of the genus… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • as the crow flies — the shortest distance between two places    The farm is about ten miles northeast of town, as the crow flies …   English idioms

  • as the crow flies — adverb by the shortest and most direct route it s 10 miles as the crow flies * * * phrasal : in a straight line : by a direct course by rail today is 80 1/2 miles, whereas it is only 49 miles as the crow flies O.S.Nock * * * as the crow flies In… …   Useful english dictionary

  • As the Crow Flies — may refer to: As the crow flies, an idiom As the Crow Flies (novel), a 1991 novel by Jeffrey Archer As the Crow Flies (comics), a series of Batman comics As the Crow Flies (play), a 1986 play by David Henry Hwang As the Crow Flies, a 1989 album… …   Wikipedia

  • as the crow flies — if the distance between two places is measured as the crow flies, it is measured as a straight line between the two places. How far is it from Cambridge to London? About 50 miles as the crow flies …   New idioms dictionary

  • as the crow flies — ► as the crow flies in a straight line across country. Main Entry: ↑crow …   English terms dictionary

  • as the crow flies — {adv. clause} By the most direct way; along a straight line between two places. * /It is seven miles to the next town as the crow flies, but it is ten miles by the road, which goes around the mountain./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • as the crow flies — {adv. clause} By the most direct way; along a straight line between two places. * /It is seven miles to the next town as the crow flies, but it is ten miles by the road, which goes around the mountain./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • as\ the\ crow\ flies — adv clause By the most direct way; along a straight line between two places. It is seven miles to the next town as the crow flies, but it is ten miles by the road, which goes around the mountain …   Словарь американских идиом

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