sail close to the wind
idiom
British
: to do something that is dangerous or that may be illegal or dishonest
The company was sailing close to the wind, but it's not clear if they were actually breaking the law.
Examples of sail close to the wind in a Sentence
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At moments — or rather, for extended stretches — these vignettes sail close to the wind of sheer tedium, but there is method in the drabness.
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Giles Harvey, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
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Giles Harvey, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
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“Sail close to the wind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sail%20close%20to%20the%20wind. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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