Meaning & use
the bee
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorous
Used in the idiom 'the bee's knees', meaning an excellent or highly admired person or thing.
Grammar: This phrase is always used with a possessive: 'the bee's knees'. It is informal and often humorous.
Patterns
- something is the bee's knees
She thinks her new phone is the bee's knees.
That little café used to be the bee's knees before it changed owners.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Used in the idiom 'have a bee in your bonnet', meaning to be obsessed with an idea or to talk about it constantly.
Grammar: Often followed by 'about': 'She has a bee in her bonnet about recycling.'
Patterns
- have a bee in your bonnet about something
He has a bee in his bonnet about the new office rules.
Don't get a bee in your bonnet over such a small mistake.
Common combinations
- the bee's knees
- That restaurant is the bee's knees for a cheap lunch.
- have a bee in your bonnet
- She has a bee in her bonnet about healthy eating.
- a bee in your bonnet
- He's got a bee in his bonnet about the project deadline.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the cat's whiskers
- Another informal idiom meaning excellent; 'the bee's knees' is more common in American English.
Commonly confused: the bee or the birds and the bees?
the bee vs the birds and the bees
A different idiom about basic sex education. Do not confuse it with 'the bee's knees'.
Practice
What does it mean if someone says 'That new song is the bee's knees'?
Choose one answer.
'The bee's knees' is an informal idiom meaning excellent or highly admired. It does not mean the song is about bees or that it is bad.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the bee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.