The phrase "by and large" today means "generally speaking," "mostly" or "on the whole." The origin is nautical, and had a very precise meaning. It was an order to the man at the helm of a sailing ship, meaning to sail the ship slightly off the wind. A similar command was "full and by" which meant to "sail as close to the wind as it can go."
2006-08-07 17:45:34
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answer #1
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answered by fzaa3's lover 4
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A colloqiusm meaning generally. Origin uncertain. Use sparingly since this is not in common usage in modern times.
2006-08-07 23:27:39
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answer #2
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answered by ramasinc 2
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by and large
on the whole, considering everything By and large we had a good meeting even though it was a little short.
2006-08-07 18:53:29
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answer #3
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answered by raven 2
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As agreed by an larger group.
Having more probability.
2006-08-07 21:30:16
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answer #4
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answered by Rainbow 4
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For our lives to have meaning you gotta be able to rim the angry bull billy no what im sayinnnnnn daaarddddd nyooorn
2016-03-16 23:45:33
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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In means "for the most part" or "generally."
2006-08-07 17:45:05
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answer #6
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answered by Fall Down Laughing 7
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Considering all things. Thanks for the question -- I never got around to looking up where this idiom came from until you asked.
2006-08-07 17:55:25
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answer #7
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answered by dragonwych 5
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more or less
2006-08-08 01:27:13
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answer #8
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answered by max24 2
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"mainly"
2006-08-07 19:33:00
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answer #9
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answered by Genvieve 2
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