scenic routen.
/ˈsiːnɪk ˌruːt/, U.S. /ˈsinɪk ˌrut/, /ˈsinɪk ˌraʊt/ 1. A (frequently indirect or circuitous) route that offers good landscape views; (hence) an unnecessarily indirect or circuitous route.
ΚΠ
1858 Ottawa, Future Capital of Canada 11 This river is twenty-eight miles in length, of great depth, as its name denotes; and, taken all in all, is one of the richest scenic routes on the continent.
1884 Zion's Herald 23 Jan. 61 This route of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway is very properly called the ‘Scenic Route’, only three of its many marvels being described in this paper.
1967 Los Angeles Times 6 June iii. 1/2 Steve Barber, who took the scenic route to California, showed up Monday night and rejoined Baltimore in time for the opener of a five-game [baseball] series with the Angels.
1979 D. Clark Heberden's Seat i. 7 Masters had suggested that they should find a scenic route and take their time.
1996 Masala 31 Dec. 40 Watch out for [taxi] drivers taking the scenic route to inflate the fare.
2012 S. Bassman Frommer's S. Afr. (ed. 7) vi. 206 Recommended for its..spectacular mountain scenery.., this scenic route..could add a mere 90 minutes to your overall itinerary.
2. figurative. A long or indirect means of reaching an objective, performing an action, etc. Frequently with the, esp. in to take the scenic route.
ΚΠ
1968 N.Y. Times 29 Oct. 59/2 I've had a hard, rocky career. I've taken the scenic route to get here.
1992 J. Burchill Sex & Sensibility 174 The appeal of AIDS charity is the appeal of looking out for numero uno, albeit via the scenic route of brotherly love.
2003 A. Proulx Close Range (new ed.) 124 ‘He will kick off one a these days.’ ‘You been sayin that for five years. He is takin the scenic route.’
2007 N.Y. Times Mag. 30 Sept. 92/1 Their university system is state-financed, and as a consequence many of them take a scenic route to graduation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1858