Some everyday expressions have an obvious nautical origin such as “all at sea” and “an even keel”. But plenty of others have slipped into the language unnoticed, including a number derived from how sailors talked about the wind.

Surprisingly, “overbearing” was originally a nautical term, meaning having an advantage over another ship by carrying more canvas safely and so being able to sail faster. The expression came to be used metaphorically to describe an approaching storm or anything else that could not be outrun. Similarly to “bear down” on something was to approach forcefully with the wind behind.

“Veering”, from the French “virer”, meaning to turn, was first applied to the change in direction of the wind. Specifically, it means a movement clockwise. A wind that shifts anticlockwise, say from north to west, is “backing” rather than veering.

“By and large” originally referred to a ship alternately sailing as close to the wind as possible, known as sailing “by the wind”, and sailing in the direction the wind is blowing in. The expression came to mean under most conditions, or in general.

These expressions are amphibians that have moved from the sea to exist on land, leaving behind all traces of the ocean winds and making themselves at home in suburbia.