to sail close to the wind
Preserved but no longer current.
In nautical use, to keep the vessel's head as near the quarter from which the wind is blowing as possible while keeping the sails filled; figuratively, to go to the very verge of what decency or pro- priety allow; to act so as just to escape the letter of the law.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to sail close to the wind” mean?
In nautical use, to keep the vessel's head as near the quarter from which the wind is blowing as possible while keeping the sails filled; figuratively, to go to the very verge of what decency or pro- priety allow; to act so as just to escape the letter of the law.
Is “to sail close to the wind” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.