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"by and large"???
3

"by and large"???

"by and large"???

(OP)
"by and large"?

I have inquired of the meaning, and it has been explained to me. It was explained by someone who used the term.
I still don't understand what it means.

I admit that I may not be bright enough to understand, but maybe the expanation was inadequate. It appears to me to be a "filler", just some noise so no one else can get a word in.

Can any one help?

Buy a dictionary, keep it nearby and USE it. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English is recommended, and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

RE: "by and large"???

To me it means the same as...

"at the end of the day"
"when all things are said and done"
"in the grand scheme of things"

Ray Reynolds
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RE: "by and large"???

3
It comes from sailing.

When a ship is sailing, and the wind is perpendicular to the direction of travel, the wind is "on the beam".  Whenever the wind is coming anywhere from within the semi-circle from beam to beam towards the stern of the boat, the boat is sailing "large", with unrestricted wind from the stern, sails large and full.  When the ship is sailing into the wind, that being that the wind is coming from within the semi-circle from the beam to the bow, the ship is sailing "by the wind", or towards the wind.

From that, the phrase "by and large" then meant all points of sailing, and from there, was generalized to mean "all things considered".

RE: "by and large"???

I thought it was a qualifier, indicating that what follows is mostly true, but not necessarily 100% true. Similar to "For the most part...".

The people in Texas are, by and large, very helpful people.

Maybe I am mistaken but that is the connotation I have always understood.


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RE: "by and large"???

http://www.bartleby.com/61/99/B0589900.html

"For the most part; generally: By and large, the play was a success."

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RE: "by and large"???

I would have to agree with electricpete. My Roget's Thesaurus lists the following under one classification :

on the whole
in the long run
all in all
to all intents and purposes
by and large
in all respects
in the main
mainly
mostly
chiefly
substantially
effectually
for the most part

"All things considered" doesn't quite seem to carry the same shade of meaning, at least to me, - but then neither does "in all respects".

RE: "by and large"???

Point taken.  "All things considered" is an overstatement.  "Most things considered" would have been a better choice of words, and is more accurate to its history.

When a sailboat is "by and large" it referrs to all points of sailing, but all points of sailing does not mean to all 36 compass points.  It really means roughly 30 to 32 compass points because you cannot sail directly +- 2 or 3 compass points into the wind.  If you try, with sails steady, the worst case scenario may be to snap the masts.

Otherwise the ship will be brought to a complete stop, or lead into another very common phrase who owes its origins to sailing, "taken aback."

RE: "by and large"???

(OP)
To All;
Thank you. It is beginning to sink in.
jimbo

Buy a dictionary, keep it nearby and USE it. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English is recommended, and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

RE: "by and large"???

groan

RE: "by and large"???

Thanks Cajun,

An explanation that includes a word's "pedigree" is always very welcome. * for that.

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