the.com/wide berth
The space you give things that might explode, bite, or start talking about crypto.
means To keep a safe, generous distance from someone or something, giving it plenty of room to avoid trouble or contact.
from From old sailing language — a ship's 'berth' was the room it needed to anchor or maneuver safely, clear of rocks, shallows, or other vessels. To give something 'a wide berth' meant steering well clear of it on the water; by the 1800s sailors' caution had drifted ashore into everyday speech, where it now applies to awkward relatives as readily as reefs.
- origin
- nautical term for anchoring room to swing safely
- literal meaning
- berth is the space a ship needs
- now means
- avoiding someone emotionally, not nautically
- always paired with
- the verb give, rarely anything else