| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Sailing within the Wind or Sailing close to the Wind. | | |
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Going to the very verge of propriety, or acting so as just to escape the letter of the law. The phrase, of course, is nautical. | 1 |
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“The jokes [of our predecessors] might have been broader than modern manners allow, but … the masher sails nearer the wind than did his ruder forefathers.”—Nineteenth Century, November, 1892, p. 795. |
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“Ea defended himself by declaring that he did not tell Hasisadra anything; he only sent her a dream. This was undoubtedly sailing very near the wind.”—Nineteenth Century, June, 1891, p. 911. |
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