Idiom
As the crow flies
As the crow flies means measured in a straight line between two places, rather than along roads or paths.
How people use it
People use it with distances (the beach is two miles away as the crow flies). It usually suggests that the real trip is longer, because roads bend, rivers get in the way or hills must be climbed. It is neutral and common in travel, hiking and real estate. The phrase describes distance only, not speed, so it does not mean quickly.
Examples
- Our cabin is only ten miles from town as the crow flies, but the mountain road takes an hour.
- As the crow flies, the two schools are close, yet a wide river separates them.
- The airport is closer as the crow flies than the map on my phone makes it look.
Where it comes from
The phrase is based on the belief that crows fly straight to where they want to go. Real crows do not always fly in perfect lines, but the image stuck. It appears in English writing by the 1700s. A similar American expression, make a beeline, uses bees in the same way.
Check yourself
1. If a lake is five miles away as the crow flies, what does that mean?
Answer: It is five miles away in a straight line. As the crow flies measures straight-line distance, which is often shorter than the road route.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The stadium is a mile away as the crow flies, but traffic makes it feel farther.. The idiom is about straight-line distance. It does not describe a way of driving or a speed.
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