beat v Cp OED ~ v¹ 19 naut 'to strive against contrary winds or currents at sea' for sense 1; 3: beat the streets (1375-1587), EDD v² 1 (6) So D for phr in sense 2.
   1 Of a herd of animals, esp seals, to move instinctively in a certain direction; to migrate.
   1866 WILSON 316 In the autumn, or near winter, [the deer] migrate, or, as the hunters say, they 'beat to the south,' and go near Cape Ray or the Bay of St George. 1924 ENGLAND 239 Wary at last, beating north and ever northward, the vast herd—decimated but still incredibly numerous—is on the trek to the far places where men cannot pursue. 1947 TANNER 493 The mother at last forces the remaining pups to take to the water, a mysterious instinct at once teaches them to go north, and by the end of May these 'beating seals' have mostly passed along the Labrador coast. P 102-60 [They have] fresh seal meat, as early in May the seals beating their way north from the Gulf would trim the shore.
   2 Phr beat the paths/streets/roads:to be out at
   night.
   P 97-66 You're beating the paths again! 1972 MURRAY 157 Decent girls did not 'beat the roads' till 'all hours of the night.'
   bet/beaten to a snot: completely exhausted.
   1970 Evening Telegram 17 July, p. 2 I'm fair bet to a snot.

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