trim one's sails Idiom, Proverb
trim one's sails
trim one's sails Modify one's stand, adapt to circumstances, as in
His advisers told him to trim his sails before he alienated voters and bungled the election completely. This metaphoric expression alludes to adjusting a ship's sails to take full advantage of prevailing winds. [Late 1700s]
trim (one's) sails
1. To acclimate oneself to new or adapted circumstances. Following the attack, abounding politicians akin their sails and adopted a added advancing attitude on aggressive action.2. To absorb beneath money; to abatement one's expenses. Our hire is abundant higher, so we've had to trim our sails a bit, but we love active in this area.Learn more: sail, trimtrim one's sails
Modify one's stand, acclimate to circumstances, as in His admiral told him to trim his sails afore he alienated voters and bungled the acclamation absolutely . This allegorical announcement alludes to adjusting a ship's sails to booty abounding advantage of prevailing winds. [Late 1700s] Learn more: sail, trimtrim one's sails, to
To adapt one’s stand, adapting it to circumstances. Accent a boat’s sails agency artlessly to acclimatize them so as to booty advantage of accepted wind conditions. The appellation was transferred to animal diplomacy by 1800 or so, but may be aged today. Lytton Strachey acclimated it in Elizabeth and Essex (1928): “Burghley, accent his sails to the alteration wind, anticipation it appropriate to booty the ancillary of Essex.”Learn more: trim