The measurement of distance in a straight line. (From the notion that crows always fly in a straight line.) From here to the office, it's about 20 miles as the crow flies, but it's more like 30 miles by car since you have to wind around the mountain.I hate that we have to take such a roundabout route to get there—it's only about five miles away as the crow flies!It's not far as the crow flies, but there's no direct route there, unfortunately.
In a straight line, by the shortest route, as in It's only a mile as the crow flies, but about three miles by this mountain road. This idiom is based on the fact that crows, very intelligent birds, fly straight to the nearest food supply. [Late 1700s]
If one place is a particular distance from another as the crow flies, the two places are that distance apart if you measure them in a straight line. I live at Mesa, Washington, about 10 miles as the crow flies from Hanford.This mountainous area has always been remote, although it is not far from Tehran as the crow flies. Note: People used to think that crows always travelled to their destination by the most direct route possible. `Make a beeline' is based on a similar idea.
By the most direct or shortest route. Since crows normally fly straight to their food supply, this simile came into use as the shortest distance between two points. It originated in the late eighteenth century or even earlier.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.