the bee's knees

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiominformalold-fashioned

   Used to say that someone or something is excellent or the best of its kind.

   Grammar: Fixed phrase; it follows a linking verb such as be, seem or think someone is, and needs 'the' before it.

   Patterns

   • someone/something is the bee's knees
   • think someone/something is the bee's knees
   • consider someone/something the bee's knees

   My grandmother still says that jazz from the 1940s is the bee's knees.

   He bought that little coffee maker and now he thinks it's the bee's knees.

   Everyone at the party agreed the chocolate cake was the bee's knees.

2. 2phraseidiomhumorousinformal

   Used jokingly or ironically about something that is not really special at all.

   Grammar: Same pattern as the main sense; the joking tone comes from the situation, not from the grammar.

   Patterns

   • something is hardly the bee's knees
   • not exactly the bee's knees

   A free pen with the logo on it? Well, it's hardly the bee's knees, but thanks.

   She said the hotel was the bee's knees, but the room had no window.

Common combinations

think something is the bee's knees

My little brother thinks his new bike is the bee's knees.

really the bee's knees

That tiny bakery on the corner is really the bee's knees.

hardly the bee's knees

The seats were cheap, but the view was hardly the bee's knees.

everyone says it's the bee's knees

Everyone says that noodle place is the bee's knees, so let's try it.

the bee's knees of something

Critics called the film the bee's knees of this year's festival.

Synonyms and how they differ

the best

Plain and neutral; use it when you want to be clear rather than playful, as in 'This is the best coffee in town.'

excellent

An adjective, not a noun phrase, so it describes the thing directly: 'an excellent coffee maker.'

the cat's whiskers

A very similar old-fashioned idiom for something excellent; it sounds just as dated and playful.

outstanding

More formal and often used about performance or quality, not about everyday objects.

Opposites

Commonly confused: the bee's knees or bee's knees? the bee's knees or the bee's knees / the knees of a bee?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “the bee's knees”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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