Sadly, even books devoted to word origins, including some from reputable publishers, often repeat stories debunked years ago. Crows detest large expanses of water and head, as straight as a crow flies, towards the nearest land if released at sea — very useful if you were unsure of the nearest land when sailing in foggy waters before the days of radar. Learn more. Unfortunately for them, as mentioned above, all the earliest instances of the phrase refer to distances measured, and journeys made, in the interior of a country. The bird wouldn’t care. Your comments frequently make an invaluable contribution to the story of words and phrases in everyday usage over many years.This is the easiest way to find a column on a particular word or phrase.Dear Word Detective:  In a recent boating magazine, I read an explanation of the phrase “as the crow flies.”  I had always thought this to be straightforward, meaning overland, as a bird would fly, as opposed to by the road. Capitalising on that trend while simultaneously aiming to tackle the UK’s obesity pandemic, the government has promised ‘a revolution in cycling and walking’. We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! as the crow flies meaning: used to say that a distance is measured in a straight line between two points or places. It was 150 miles inland from Boston as the crow flies. What's the meaning of the phrase 'As the crow flies'? The logic behind “as the crow flies” meaning “in a direct line overland” is simply that crows are fairly large, highly visible (and very noisy) birds that generally fly directly to their source of food (as opposed to swallows, for instance, which feed by swooping around and catching insects). The term As The Crow Flies came from British coastal vessels that customarily carried a cage of crows. In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that stories about word and phrase origins found in popular magazines are usually untrue, sometimes hilariously so. Crows normally fly in large wheeling arcs, looking for food.

In an age before human flight, the sight of a crow gliding smoothly through the sky to its destination must have inspired envy in earthbound travelers, who had to deal with natural obstacles (mountains, rivers, etc.)

“As the crow flies” was thus the best way to explain that the distance specified was direct (“The distance … is upwards of twenty-five miles as the crow flies,” 1810), as opposed to the route a plodding human would have to take, which would likely be much longer.But even by the low standards of the mass media, the story you read is a humdinger. And what if the shortest course to the shore turned out to be onto a reef that would sink the ship?

Crows are perhaps an odd choice as, unlike many birds that migrate over long distances, their flight isn't especially straight. The lookout perch on sailing vessels thus became known as the crow’s nest. in cutting a line of road from As the crow flies, similar to in a beeline, is an idiom for the most direct path between two points. What's the origin of the phrase 'As the crow flies'? Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge! It has also been used there latterly to indicate death, which is the meaning alluded to in Iain Banks' 1992 eponymous novel. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. The term 'the crow road' has long been used in Scotland to denote the most direct route. This tool can be used to find the distance between two named points on a map. One source I found said: British coastal vessels customarily carried a cage of crows. As usual in such cases, there is a suspicious lack of detail; as you note, this practice supposedly took place “at some unexplained time in the past.”  200 B.C.? The term "As The Crow Flies" came from British coastal vessels that customarily carried a cage of crows. The second-earliest occurrence that I have found is from The equivalent French phrase does not refer to a specific bird species: it is Of course, those ‘etymologists’ have never provided any evidence to support their asinine theory (how could they?) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.