weather gauge
Americannoun
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Nautical. gauge19
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the position of advantage; upper hand.
Having bought out her competitors, she now has the weather gauge in the industry.
Etymology
Origin of weather gauge
First recorded in 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Esmeraldo Weather Center in Camagüey registered winds of more than 124 miles per hour before part of the weather gauge blew off.
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2017
She had tacked several times to keep the weather gauge, which it was Captain Stanhope’s wish to obtain.
From Owen Hartley; or, Ups and Downs A Tale of Land and Sea by Kingston, William Henry Giles
"Under steam we'll have the weather gauge all the time, and we'll give 'em no chance to board."
From White Fire by Oxenham, John
I have to be kind of sharp and straight up and down in my dealin's; they'd get the weather gauge on me a dozen times a day if I wa'n't.
From Thankful's Inheritance by Lincoln, Joseph Crosby
John Ozanne made us all lie down, save when a change of course was necessary, while he did his utmost to get the weather gauge of the enemy.
From Carette of Sark by Oxenham, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
