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a bird's eye view
a bird's eye view
1. A view looking down at an object or area from a high elevation. As much as I'd love to go to the observation deck of the Empire State Building and see New York City from a bird's eye view, I'm afraid that my acrophobia will prevent me from enjoying the experience.
2. A consideration of a problem or situation from a comprehensive perspective. In order to determine why the company was headed towards a fiscal disaster, the CFO had to take a step back and get a bird's eye view of the situation so he could locate the cause of the problem.
a bird's eye view
the appearance of something seen from above
The large painting offers a bird's eye view that shows the layout of the ancient city. Usage notes: sometimes used to show how an animal's view is different: A basement window gives you a dog's eye view of the world - all you see is the bottom of the fire hydrant and passing feet on the sidewalk.
a bird's eye view
a view from a very high place which allows you to see a large area We had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the city walls.