From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsail close to the windsail close to the windBritish EnglishRISK to do or say something that is nearly wrong, illegal, or dishonest → sail
Examples from the Corpus
sail close to the wind• They had quite a reputation for sailing close to the wind.• With his own property, it was perhaps easier too for a baron to take risks or sail close to the wind. 