bird's eye view

bird's eye view idiom
An overview, as in This balcony gives us a bird's eye view of the town, or This course gives you a bird's eye view of history—from Eolithic man to the Gulf War in one semester. This expression can be used literally, for a panoramic view such as a bird might see, as well as figuratively. [c. 1600]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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