fore-and-aft

American  

[fawr-uhnd-aft, -ahft, fohr-] / ˈfɔr əndˈæft, -ˈɑft, ˈfoʊr- /

adjective

1. located along or parallel to a line from the stem to the stern.

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adverb

1. fore.

fore and aft Idioms  

1. Both front and back, everywhere, as in The children clung to the teacher fore and aft. This expression is nautical terminology for the bow, or front, and the stern, or back, of a vessel. Today it is also used more broadly. [First half of 1600s]

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Etymology

Origin of fore-and-aft

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

Improvements in rigging enabled the construction of larger, more maneuverable ships with both square-rigged and fore-and-aft sails.

From Time Magazine Archive

The hard part is keeping the craft balanced from end to end�called fore-and-aft trim�so that it handles well without one end riding unduly high or low in the water.

From Time Magazine Archive

At each mansion, Trujillo kept a full wardrobe of uniforms complete with white-plumed fore-and-aft hats.

From Time Magazine Archive

Eddie Allen tucked up her legs and she whisked away from the field, slim, slick, slightly bent in her fore-and-aft line so that her nose drooped like an ant-eater's.

From Time Magazine Archive

The third stage vibrated quite a bit, not from side to side but with a choppy fore-and-aft motion which was felt as almost a buzz.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins