sail (redirected from sailing)

sail close to the wind

1. to take risks which could cause problems or danger. We may have just enough fuel to get there, but we'll be sailing a bit close to the wind. (often in continuous tenses)

2. to do something that is dangerous or only just legal or acceptable. 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, American & Australian)

to pretend to be something that you are not 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 someone'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 also: 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.

Etymology: based on the idea of a ship sailing into a port, pushed by the wind

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: take, wind