Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: Give a wide berth

 When I'm out walking, I'm one of those folks who masks up--never mind the distance—and gives a wide berth to all I encounter. And now, having written that, I find myself asking: Is give a wide berth an idiom borne of the seafaring life?

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Answer: Yes it is!

Merriam-Webster Online explains that to give a wide berth means "to avoid or stay away from someone or something."

According to one of my favorite references, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer, this expression, dating from the mid-1800s, alludes to the need to give a vessel enough room to swing at anchor to avoid a collision.

The Phrase Finder dives into a wide berth, noting:

We now think of a ship's berth as the place where the ship is moored. Before that though it meant 'a place where there is sea room to moor a ship'. This derives in turn from the probable derivation of the word berth, that is, 'bearing off'. When sailors were warned to keep a wide bearing off something they were being told to make sure to maintain enough sea room from it. Like many seafaring terms it dates back to the heyday of sail, the 17th century. An early use comes from the redoubtable Captain John Smith in Accidental Young Seamen, 1626: "Watch bee vigilant to keepe your berth to windward."

 By Peter Monamy - Art UK, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91972404

To give a wide berth, however, didn't appear until 1830, in the following ghostly passage of Sir Walter Scott's Letters on demonology and witchcraft: 

...He was pondering with some anxiety upon the dangers of travelling alone on a solitary road which passed the corner of a churchyard, now near at hand, when he saw before him in the moonlight a pale female form standing upon the very wall which surrounded the cemetery. The road was very narrow, with no opportunity of giving the apparent phantom what seamen call a wide berth. It was, however, the only path which led to the rider’s home, who therefore resolved, at all risks, to pass the apparition.

Hmmmm. The above pretty much describes my reaction when encountering unmasked personages on a narrow sidewalk or trail (although my perambulations take place in the light of day, and never involve passing a cemetery).

Now, let's just "sail away" for a bit, and enjoy this lovely hour-long compilation of toe-tamping sea shanties and sea-farin' folk songs. The first, a drinking song, is perfect for raising a glass or two today to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy!

Note that you can view the lyrics and sing along by clicking on CC (closed captions) icon on the YouTube video.