sail close to the wind

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Be on the verge of doing something illegal or improper, as in She was sailing pretty close to the wind when she called him a liar. This term alludes to the danger incurred when literally sailing too close to (that is, in the direction of) the wind. Its figurative use dates from the first half of the 1800s.

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Words nearby sail close to the wind

Saigo Takamori, sail, sailboard, sailboarding, sailboat, sail close to the wind, sailcloth, sailer, sailfish, sailing, sailing boat

How to use sail close to the wind in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
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The two strengthened ties over the years and now Krauss considers Epstein a “close” and “considerate” friend.
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Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
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Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
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Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Each day she resolved, "To-morrow I will tell Felipe;" and when to-morrow came, she put it off again.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
There are three things a wise man will not trust: the wind, the sunshine of an April day, and woman's plighted faith.
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On the upper part of the stem the whorls are very close together, but they are more widely separated at the lower portion.
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Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
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