early beams

early beam

Early morning; dawn. Mom knows you were out till the early beam last night, so don't try to hide it.
See also: beam, early
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

early beam(s)

n. dawn; early morning. (Streets.) He was away every day, early black to early beam.
See also: beam, early
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • early beam
  • at an early date
  • bright and early
  • have an early night
  • the early bird catches the worm
  • early bird catches the worm
  • early bird catches the worm, the
  • early bird
  • an early bird
  • a morning person
References in classic literature
Oh, what delight it was to be thus seated aloft, rumbling along the broad, sunshiny road, with the fresh morning breeze in my face, surrounded by an unknown country, all smiling - cheerfully, gloriously smiling in the yellow lustre of those early beams; with my darling child in my arms, almost as happy as myself, and my faithful friend beside me: a prison and despair behind me, receding further, further back at every clatter of the horses' feet; and liberty and hope before!
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Certainly one of the largest problems with early beams was the cost of the units.
Electron Beam Curing in Graphic Arts