sail (redirected from sailed near the wind)

Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.

Prov. Begin a project when circumstances are the most favorable. Don't ask your mother for permission now; she's in a bad mood. Hoist your sail when the wind is fair. Wait until the economy has stabilized before trying to start your own business. Hoist your sail when the wind is fair.

See also: fair, hoist, wind

knock the wind out of someone's sails 

1. Lit. to bring someone to an abrupt halt by a heavy blow to the body, presumably knocking the person's wind out. (Alludes to a ship being slowed by positioning another ship to block off the wind from the first ship's sails.) Fred hit Mike and really knocked the wind out of his sails. Fred ran into the side of the garage and knocked the wind out of his sails.

2. Fig. to humiliate someone. The sharp rebuke from the boss knocked the wind out of his sails. That scolding really knocked the wind out of her sails.

See also: knock, out, wind

reef a sail in

to reduce the area of a ship's sail, by folding the sail. The first mate ordered the sailors to reef the sails in. They had to reef in the sails.

sail (right) through something 

1. Lit. to travel through something in a boat or ship. The line of boats sailed right through the Grenadines in the daylight hours. We sailed through the narrows without a pilot.

2. Fig. to go through something very quickly and easily. The kids just sailed right through the ice cream and cake. There was not a bit left. You have sailed through your allowance already.

3. Fig. to get through a procedure, evaluation, or vote quickly and easily. The proposal sailed through the committee with no debate. I hope that this matter sails through quickly.

See also: through

sail against something

to operate a boat or ship, so as to move against the wind. It takes skill and training to sail against the wind. The huge cruise ship sailed against the wind all the way to St. Thomas.

See also: against

sail along (something)

to travel on a course in a boat or plane. The huge white ship sailed along the Amazon River slowly and peacefully. The boat sailed along peacefully.

See also: along

sail around

to travel by water in a boat or ship. We sailed around for about an hour and then went back to the shore. Let's go out and sail around before dinner.

See also: around

sail for some place

to depart in a boat or ship for some place. This ship sails for Bridgetown, Barbados, at noon today. We will sail for home early in the morning.

See also: place, some

sail from some place to some place else

to move or travel from one place to another in a boat or ship. We sailed from San Juan to Acapulco. The ship sailed from its home port to Baltimore overnight.

See also: else, place, some

sail in (to something) 

1. Lit. to travel into something or some place in a boat or ship. We sailed into the harbor nearly an hour late. We sailed in at noon.

2. Fig. to move or proceed into something or some place gracefully or without resistance. She sailed into the room wearing a flowing gown. Three young maidens sailed into the room before the door closed.

sail into someone or something 

1. to crash into someone or something with a boat or ship. The boat sailed into the dock, causing considerable damage. I was in my skiff when a larger boat sailed into me.

2. to crash into someone or something. The missile sailed into the soldiers, injuring a few. The car sailed into the lamppost.

sail into someone

Fig. to attack someone; to chastise someone. (Based on sail into someone or something.) The angry coach sailed into the players. The teacher sailed into Timmy for breaking the window.

sail under false colors 

1. Lit. to sail with false identification. (Pirates often sailed under the national flag of the ship they planned on attacking.) The ship, sailing under false colors, suddenly started to pursue our ship. Bluebeard the pirate was known for sailing under false colors.

2. Fig. to function deceptively. You are not who you seem to be. You are sailing under false colors. Tom was sailing under false colors and finally got found out.

See also: color, false

sail up a river

to travel upstream on a river in a boat or ship. We sailed up the Amazon River in a large, seagoing ship. It was not possible to sail up the Mississippi as far as we wanted.

See also: river, up

set sail for some place

to leave in a ship or boat for some place. (Not limited to ships having sails.) We set sail for Grenada at noon. When do we set sail for Nantucket?

See also: place, set, some

take the wind out of someone's sails

Fig. to challenge someone's boasting or arrogance. John was bragging about how much money he earned until he learned that most of us make more. That took the wind out of his sails. Learning that one has been totally wrong about something can really take the wind out of one's sails.

See also: out, take, wind

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sail close to the wind

to do something that is dangerous or only just legal or acceptable

Usage notes: (often in continuous tenses)

I think she realized she was sailing a little too close to the wind and decided to tone down her criticism.

See also: close, wind

sail under false colours  (British & Australian) also sail under false colors (American & Australian)

to pretend to be something that you are not in order to deceive people

Usage notes: If a ship sails under false colours, it uses the flag of another country in order to deceive people.

Lewis was sailing under false colours - he never told her he was a journalist.

See also: colour, false

take the wind out of somebody's sails

to make someone feel less confident or less determined to do something, usually by saying or doing something that they are not expecting I was going to tell him the relationship was over when he greeted me with a big bunch of flowers and it rather took the wind out of my sails.

See break wind, run like the wind, see which way the wind is blowing

See also: out, take, wind

trim your sails

to spend less money The school is having to trim its sails because of government cutbacks.

See also: trim

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sail close to the wind

to take risks We thought she was sailing a bit close to the wind in her business deals, but she claimed everything was legal.

Usage notes: often refers to doing something that may not be legal or acceptable

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of sail close to the wind (to sail a boat as near as possible to the direction the wind is coming from)

See also: close, wind

sail into something

to change to a new condition The economy, for all its strengths, was sailing into trouble.

sail into somewhere

to enter a place quickly and confidently He sailed into the press conference on Friday, grinning at the journalists.

sail through something

1. to go quickly and smoothly through something In the early evening light, we watched bats sail through the air, scooping up insects.

2. to easily succeed in something The new voting machines sailed through their first election day test last Tuesday.

Etymology: based on the idea of a boat sailing smoothly on the water

See also: through

set sail

to begin a trip on a ship or boat Later he left California and set sail for Australia, searching for gold.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of set sail (put up the sails of a boat to use the wind to move forward)

See also: set

take the wind out of your sails

to make you feel less confident or determined I was really mad at him, but he greeted me with flowers, which immediately took the wind out of my sails.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of take the wind out of someone's sails (to slow down a competing boat by catching the wind in your own sails and preventing it from filling the other boat's sails)

See also: out, take, wind