Beelining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Navigating directly to a particular endpoint without any diversions or distractions is one interpretation of this action
2. Moving in a straight or direct line toward a target without making any stops or detours
3. Heading promptly and without deviation to a specific destination or objective

Etymology: The verb "beeline" and its "-ing" form "beelining" come from a belief about bees: that a bee flying back to its hive takes the most direct route available. Put "bee" together with "line" and you get a straight path, the kind a person takes when heading for a goal without detours. The notion was popular enough that the word became the common way to describe any rapid, direct movement toward something. The expression appears to have started in the United States, where it was labelled an Americanism when it reached British print. The Slang Dictionary, compiled by John Camden Hotten and published in London in 1874, recorded "beeline" as a term in use by that date, which shows how quickly it had travelled across the Atlantic. Note that the earlier, more literal sense of a bee's flight is what gives the verb its vivid picture, even though most people now use it without a thought for insects.

Synonyms: heading, directing, going straight, rushing, hurrying

Antonyms: wandering, meandering, dawdling, loitering, lingering