make a beeline for (someone or something)
To head directly and quickly toward something or some place. I knew the boss was angry, so when I saw her come in, I made a beeline for the break room. Every day when I come home from work, my toddler makes a beeline for me—it's just the cutest thing.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
make a beeline for someone or something
Fig. to head straight toward someone or something. (Alludes to the straight flight of a bee.) Billy came into the kitchen and made a beeline for the cookies. After the game, we all made a beeline for John, who was serving cold drinks.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
make a beeline for
Go straight to, as in He made a beeline for the refreshments. In this expression, beeline means "the shortest distance between two points," alluding to the route of worker bees bringing nectar and pollen back to the hive. [c. 1830]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
make a beeline for
go rapidly and directly towards. The phrase refers to the straight line supposedly taken instinctively by a bee returning to its hive.
1997 Bookseller And when he heard that people might like him to sign copies of his new novel…he cut the small talk and made a beeline for the stall.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
make a beeline for
Go directly to. This phrase is based on the assumption that a bee will take the shortest, most direct route back to the hive, in effect a straight line. It appeared in the Massachusetts Spy on November 24, 1830: “The squirrel took a beeline and reached the ground six feet ahead.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer