Beeline
a direct route traveled quickly (usually in the phrase make a beeline for):
The minute he came home he made a beeline for the refrigerator.
Contemporary Examples
After a few uncomfortable minutes, he made a beeline in my direction, all six women in tow.
Confessions of Charlie Sheen’s Bartender Robert Schwartz February 5, 2011
He made a beeline for Abramovich, who took cover inside a Hermès store and had his bodyguards block the door.
Oligarch v. Oligarch: London’s Courts Attract Litigious Tycoons Mike Giglio July 22, 2012
The man sees Chappelle looking at him and crosses the street, making a beeline for him.
Dave Chappelle’s Secret Shows Touré July 9, 2011
He walked in, made a beeline for me, and said he had moved to the city for a job.
Busting a Cyberstalker: How Carla Franklin Fought Back—and Triumphed Abigail Pesta October 11, 2012
Once freed, Abdullah and a slew of recently released Taliban inmates have made a beeline back to the battlefield.
Freed Taliban Prisoners in Pakistan and Afghanistan Return to Jihad Ron Moreau & Sami Yousafzai December 5, 2013
Historical Examples
“That they’re there, and coming toward us on a beeline,” Dave replied with a nod toward the approaching flying boats.
Dave Dawson at Truk Robert Sydney Bowen
Its almost a beeline, Andy, and the Racing Star is built for speed.
Airship Andy Frank V. Webster
He waggled his wings, then turned and made a beeline for the city.
The Golden Skull John Blaine
“We’d better head for the hotel on a beeline,” Scotty suggested.
The Egyptian Cat Mystery Harold Leland Goodwin
I rushed through the camp, shooting to the left and right, but keeping a beeline after Powder Face and his rider.
An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill (Colonel W. F. Cody) Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody)
noun
the most direct route between two places (esp in the phrase make a beeline for)
n.
also bee-line, 1838, American English, from bee + line (n.), in reference to the supposed homing instinct of bees in the field.
TO LINE BEES is to track wild bees to their homes in the woods. One who follows this occupation is called a bee hunter. [Bartlett, 1859]
noun
A direct and speedy route
[1830; fr the notion that bees take the most direct route in returning to their hives]
see: make a beeline for
Read Also:
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kingbird. Historical Examples The kingbird is sometimes called the “bee martin” because he occasionally snaps up the drones. Under the Maples John Burroughs Saw the speckled woodpecker, bee martin and log cock or large woodpecker. The Journals of Lewis and Clark Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
- Bee moth
a brownish pyralid moth, Galleria mellonella, the larvae of which feed on the honeycombs in beehives. Historical Examples Nuova thought her fate was to be that of bee moth’s, and it really seemed so for a moment. Nuova Vernon Kellogg But why didn’t you shout out about the bee moth when you first saw her? […]
- Bee orchid
noun a European orchid, Ophrys apifera, whose flower resembles a bumble bee in shape and colour any of several other orchids with beelike flowers
- Bee plant
any of various plants frequented by bees as a source of nectar, especially Cleome serrulata or C. lutea, of western North America. noun any of various plants much visited by bees for nectar and pollen
- Beestings
the first milk or colostrum of a mammal, especially a cow, after giving birth. noun (functioning as sing) the first milk secreted by the mammary glands of a cow or similar animal immediately after giving birth; colostrum n. “colostrum,” Old English bysting, from beost, a general West Germanic word (cf. Old High German biost, German […]