乌鸦是一种非常聪明的生物，如果有更短更直的路线，它们是不会选择飞更长的路线的，所以习语 as the crow flies 可以意为“笔直地，径直地，直线的”，寓意：

in a straight line
在一条直线上
by the shortest route
以最短的路线
directly or straight
径直地或笔直地
nonstop or uninterrupted
不间断的或不间断的
without stopping
不停地
例如：

The nearest hotel is about 24 kilometers away as the crow flies.
离这里最近的旅馆的直线距离是24公里。
There is a beautiful hill station about 20 miles away as the crow flies, right from where we are standing now.
离我们现在站的地方的直线距离20英里外，有一个美丽的山区避暑小镇。
Just go on this route as the crow flies, and you may save about 40 minutes.
径直地往这条路走就行了，你可以节省大约40分钟。

I am driving for 4 hours on this trail as the crow flies and we reached nowhere yet - I think we are lost.
我在这条小道上径直地开了4个小时的车，我们还没到什么地方——我想我们迷路了。
My house is ten miles from here as the crow flies.
我家离这儿的直线距离有十英里。
The distance to be covered is about 85 km, as the crow flies.
要覆盖的直线距离约为85公里。

The station is five miles away by road but only three as the crow flies.
车站离公路有五英里远，但直线距离只有三英里。
跟动物有关的习语或是谚语队伍是越来越大了，比如 turn turtle，as bald as a coot，还有 a cat may look at a king 等等，像这类的表达方式所比喻或是传达的意思都只能牢牢记住。
当然个别的习语还是比较容易透过它们的字面意思来猜到它们的寓意的，比如 a drop in the ocean 等等。