Frombee +line, due to the belief that a bee returns to its hive in a straight course, originally an Americanism.[1]
beeline (pluralbeelines)
- A verydirect orquickpath ortrip.
to make / strike abeeline for / to something
The children made abeeline to the swimming pool.
1922 February,James Joyce, “[Episode 16]”, inUlysses, Paris:Shakespeare and Company, […],→OCLC:Discussing these and kindred topics they made abeeline across the back of the Customhouse and passed under the Loop Line bridge where a brazier of coke burning in front of a sentrybox or something like one attracted their rather lagging footsteps.
1998,Cory Doctorow,Super Man and the Bug Out[1]:Hershie made abeeline for Thomas's table, not making eye-contact with the others — old-guard activists who still saw him as a tool of the war-machine.
- (mining, chiefly historical) Adynamitefuse made with asmallquantity ofdynamitepowder along itslength, so that thesparktravelsquickly and at aspecificknownrate.
straight course, ignoring established paths of travel
beeline (third-person singular simple presentbeelines,present participlebeelining,simple past and past participlebeelined)
- (transitive, intransitive) Totravel in astraight line,ignoringestablishedpaths oftravel.
2002, Tim Cockey,Hearse of a Different Color[2], Hachette Books,→ISBN:A uniformed policeman came off the elevator andbeelined for the nurse's station. Ibeelined into the stairwell. I wasn't in the mood for chatting with the police.
2009 November 24, Simon Dumenco, “Oriole Kooky”, inThe New York Times[3],→ISSN:Suddenly, a womanbeelines to the president, climbs to join him on his platform, there’s no security around to stop her and leans in for a kiss.
