Why do we use the term "at large" as in "the criminal is at large." What is "at large?" I mean I know what "large" means but I don't know how "at large" originated.
2006-10-31 07:07:12 · 8 answers · asked by Lee 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
AT LARGE: At liberty. The phrase is of French Origin, and ‘prendre le large’ is to sail out to sea so as to be free to move.
2006-10-31 07:10:06 · answer #1 · answered by Drewood 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I found this at the website listed below (under the L section). "Large: At large is an expression used to indicate that a prisoner has escaped and is free. "Large" seems a funny word to be used in this sense but it goes back to a French phrase "prendre la large" meaning to stand out to sea so as to be free to move. "Large" also has another nautical meaning as in By and Large."
2006-10-31 15:17:16 · answer #2 · answered by frytator 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.wordwizard.com/ch_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18382
From sailing at large, meaning with the wind behind you so you may move about freely and quickly. Not constrained by wind or obstacles, not at the mercy of the sea and its currents. Similarly a criminal "at large" is free to move about as he wishes because the police don't know where he is or often even WHO he is, so they don't know where to watch for him.
It is amazing how many odd expressions come from nautical origins, perhaps because the seafaring life threw together many people from diverse backgrounds, then spread them across the earth in new places.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the earliest use of the phrase was to describe pirates, who were literaly "criminals sailing at large" -- but that's just a guess on my part.
BTW, you will see some incorrect origins for "by and large," meaning "taken as a whole," when you look into this. The correct one is that to sail BY the wind meant that the wind was coming from almost in front of you, while to sail "LARGE meant to sail with the wind behind you as we have just seen. It was VERY hard to design ships to be good at both, so most ships were better suited to sail either with the wind BY or with the wind LARGE, but not both. This was because to sail well with the wind BY you needed a hull that helped keep the ship from being blown to the side and had to have your sails rigged one way (fore-and-aft), while to sail well with the wind LARGE you wanted a hull that provided the least possible friction so the wind could blow you faster and you needed to have your sails rigged the opposite way (side-to-side). However, some ships were designed to be a good compromise and these ships while not excelling at either condition did "sail well, by and large," so that they could get from point A to point B regardless of where the wind was coming from.
2006-10-31 15:12:23 · answer #3 · answered by Mustela Frenata 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
"At large" means "escaped".
2006-10-31 15:15:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it means they are out and it is a "large"(high) priority to find them.
2006-10-31 15:12:35 · answer #5 · answered by Jewish Girl891 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
because he is at risk to hurt someone
2006-10-31 15:14:18 · answer #6 · answered by ccheese 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
means hes fat
2006-10-31 15:09:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋
"As a whole"
2006-10-31 15:11:53 · answer #8 · answered by Snuz 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋