By and large
Example: By and large, the weather was nice during our trip.
Definition
"By and large" is an adverbial phrase used to mean 'generally' or 'on the whole,' indicating that something is true in most cases or overall. For example, in the sentence 'By and large, the weather was nice during our trip,' it suggests that the weather was mostly pleasant.
Etymology
The phrase "by and large" originates from nautical terminology in the 17th century. 'By' referred to sailing close to the wind, while 'large' meant sailing with the wind behind you. Together, they implied managing well in various conditions, evolving into the general sense of 'on the whole' or 'generally.' Did you know it was once a sailor's phrase before becoming common in everyday language?
Learn to use this expression actively
"By and large" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (B2) - set 1", containing 103 commonly used expressions.
Would you like to not only understand these expressions, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select English as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
