HOW FAR?

AND
WHERE?
Idioms of movement and location
A STONE’S THROW AWAY
FROM  Very close to something.

 It’s a stone’s throw away from the

shopping centre which suits my wife
because she can go there and shop every
day.
AS THE CROW FLIES
 In a straight line; we use it to describe how
close we are to something (or how far
from it).

 Where’s the football stadium?

 Well, as the crow flies, it’s about two or
three kilometres, but it usually takes me 40
minutes because we have to go through
the city.
TO FOLLOW YOUR NOSE
 To go to the direction you think is
reasonable; you guess you are probably
quite accurate.

 I just followed my nose. I went in the

direction that I thought was pretty safe,
and I felt that it was going to lead me to
the top of the hill. And sure enough, it did!
TO MAKE A BEELINE FOR
 To go somewhere in the quickest or most
direct way possible.

 They made a beeline for the snacks and

coffee in the tea area because they hadn’t
had lunch.
TO LOSE YOUR BEARINGS
 To become confused about exactly where
you are and where everything is relative to
your position.

 Make sure you don’t lose your bearings.

Keep an eye open for something unusual:
a signpost, a broken gate post, or a dead
tree. 
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
 A long way from civilization (town, city,
shopping centre, etc).

 The hotel description on the internet said it

was a short distance from the beach and
local amenities. In fact, it was in the
middle of nowhere.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
 Somewhere a little bit remote, away from
crowded places and tourists.

 Our small B&B was a little bit off the

beaten track, but it was close to nature. It
was very peaceful. You wake up to the
sound of birds every morning.
TO STOP DEAD IN YOUR
TRACKS
 To stop very suddenly either because
you’re surprised or because something
happened very quickly.

 We stopped dead in our tracks when we

heard the sound of a grizzly bear.
TO TAKE A SHORTCUT TO
SOMETHING
 To take a route that is quicker and shorter
than usual in the hope to get somewhere
quicker.

 Generally, there are no shortcuts to

success in life.
TO TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE
 To follow a longer path or
route than you had
thought because it could
be more attractive.

 Did you take the scenic

route? We had a meeting
set up for 10 o’clock and
it’s 10:45 now.