T-learning # Idiom
Speak Like a Native

to make a beeline for something

Choose the correct definition a, b or c.

a) to grab something

Sorry, wrong answer. Please try again.

b) to line dance

Sorry, wrong answer. Please try again.

c) to head quickly to

Well done ! That’s the right answer.

If you make a beeline for something, you head directly and quickly toward something or some place.

In this expression, ’beeline’ means ’the shortest distance between two points’, alluding to the straight line supposedly taken instinctively by worker bees bringing nectar and pollen back to the hive.

French translation

se diriger droit sur, filer droit sur quelque chose

How NOT to translate : *faire une ligne d’abeille
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Examples in the press

Why people from Saudi, GCC made a beeline to Qatar in September ?

International arrivals in Qatar in September hit a five-year high this year as travellers from the GCC, especially Saudi Arabia, made a beeline to the country.

Qatar welcomed 151,000 international arrivals in September 2022, the highest recorded number of visitors in the autumn month since 2017.

GCC visitors made up 44 percent of total international arrivals, led by Saudi Arabia which accounted for nearly 30 percent of total figures.

Quatar Tribune, 31 Oct. 2022

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Everyday usage

’When he saw me in the kitchen, he made a beeline for the door.’

What a week ! Let’s make a beeline for the pub !

4 Nov. 2022


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