before the wind
1. With great haste, as one might do with the wind at one's back. Stacey is incredibly fast, she's always running before the wind. Would you slow down? Geez, why are you driving before the wind? A curious toddler sure can move before the wind, hence all the baby gates.
2. nautical Moving in the same direction as the wind, so as to travel more quickly. Try to keep us before the wind if you can, we want to complete the journey in the best time possible. A: "Will we reach the port soon, Captain?" B: "Yes, we're traveling before the wind now." We were able to sail before the wind, so it was a quick, smooth trip.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
before the wind
Driven ahead, hurried, as in The bikers are moving before the wind, so it's hard to tell who will come in first. The literal meaning of this term is nautical, referring to a ship sailing in the same direction as the wind and being propelled forward. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
before the wind
Nautical In the same direction as the wind.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.