"We cut over the fields at the back with him between us – straight as the crow flies – through hedge and ditch."[1]
Crows do conspicuously fly alone across open country, but crows do not fly in particularly straight lines.[3] While crows do not swoop in the air like swallows or starlings, they often circle above their nests.[3]
One suggested origin of the term is that before modern navigational methods were introduced, cages of crows were kept upon ships and a bird would be released from the crow's nest when required to assist navigation, in the hope that it would fly directly towards land.[1] However, the earliest recorded uses of the term are not nautical in nature, and the crow's nest of a ship is thought to derive from its shape and position rather than its use as a platform for releasing crows.[1] It has also been suggested that crows would not travel well in cages, as they fight if confined.[4]
^ abcdeAllen, Robert (2008). Allen's Dictionary of English Phrases. Penguin UK. ISBN9780141917689.
^ abKnowles, Elizabeth (2006). The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press, UK. ISBN9780191578564.
^ abVillazon, Luis (2017-08-30). "Do crows actually fly in a straight line?". BBC Focus.
^Quinion, Michael; Spear, Lynne (2011-06-04). "World Wide Words: As the crow flies". World Wide Words.
Bibliographyedit
Dundes, Alan (2004). "As the Crow Flies: A Straightforward Study of Lineal Worldview in American Folk Speech". In Lau, Kimberley J.; et al. (eds.). What Goes Around Comes Around: The Circulation of Proverbs in Contemporary Life. Utah State University Press. pp. 171–187. ISBN978-0-87421-592-2.
Winfield, Charles H. (1882). Adjudged Words and Phrases: Being a Collection of Adjudicated Definitions of Terms Used in the Law, with References to Authorities. Jersey City, NJ: J.J. Griffiths. p. 45. OCLC 3364516. as the crow flies.
External linksedit
Look up as the crow flies in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
"As the crow flies". The Phrase Finder..
"As the crow flies". World Wide Words..
February 16, 2024
crow, flies, other, uses, crow, flies, disambiguation, expression, crow, flies, idiom, most, direct, path, between, points, crow, flying, across, terrain, contents, etymology, also, references, bibliography, external, linksetymology, editthe, meaning, expressi. For other uses see As the Crow Flies disambiguation The expression as the crow flies is an idiom for the most direct path between two points 1 2 A crow flying across the terrain Contents 1 Etymology 2 See also 3 References 4 Bibliography 5 External linksEtymology editThe meaning of the expression is attested from the early 19th century and appeared in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist 1838 1 2 We cut over the fields at the back with him between us straight as the crow flies through hedge and ditch 1 Crows do conspicuously fly alone across open country but crows do not fly in particularly straight lines 3 While crows do not swoop in the air like swallows or starlings they often circle above their nests 3 One suggested origin of the term is that before modern navigational methods were introduced cages of crows were kept upon ships and a bird would be released from the crow s nest when required to assist navigation in the hope that it would fly directly towards land 1 However the earliest recorded uses of the term are not nautical in nature and the crow s nest of a ship is thought to derive from its shape and position rather than its use as a platform for releasing crows 1 It has also been suggested that crows would not travel well in cages as they fight if confined 4 See also editDistance Geodesic Great circle distanceReferences edit a b c d e Allen Robert 2008 Allen s Dictionary of English Phrases Penguin UK ISBN 9780141917689 a b Knowles Elizabeth 2006 The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Oxford University Press UK ISBN 9780191578564 a b Villazon Luis 2017 08 30 Do crows actually fly in a straight line BBC Focus Quinion Michael Spear Lynne 2011 06 04 World Wide Words As the crow flies World Wide Words Bibliography editDundes Alan 2004 As the Crow Flies A Straightforward Study of Lineal Worldview in American Folk Speech In Lau Kimberley J et al eds What Goes Around Comes Around The Circulation of Proverbs in Contemporary Life Utah State University Press pp 171 187 ISBN 978 0 87421 592 2 Winfield Charles H 1882 Adjudged Words and Phrases Being a Collection of Adjudicated Definitions of Terms Used in the Law with References to Authorities Jersey City NJ J J Griffiths p 45 OCLC 3364516 as the crow flies External links edit nbsp Look up as the crow flies in Wiktionary the free dictionary As the crow flies The Phrase Finder As the crow flies World Wide Words Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title As the crow flies amp oldid 1182116761, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
