sting like a bee
Strike with venom
To sting like a bee is to strike with sudden, sharp force—quick and painful.
The phrase comes from Muhammad Ali's famous boxing mantra "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," describing his style of graceful movement followed by punishing punches.
Now used broadly for any approach combining elegance with devastating effectiveness: Her cross-examination was gentle at first, then stung like a bee.
- Muhammad AliLegendary heavyweight champion
- greatest of all timeSuperlative across all eras
- strikeForceful impact or stoppage
- nimblenessEase of quick movement
- quicknessState of being fast
pain · hit · hit hard · agility · effectiveness · swiftness · buzz · boxer · punch · trash talk · precision · rope-a-dope · needle · dart · counterattack · pugilist · sweet science · boxing
- Muhammad Alirope-a-dope, float like a butterfly, heavyweight title, Joe Frazier, George Foreman
- boxingjab, uppercut, hook, punch, knockout