Idiom
by and large
Meaning
Mostly; generally; all things considered.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“By and large, the plan worked well.”
“By and large, customers are happy with the new service, though a few have complained.”
“By and large, the critics praised the novel for its ambition, even when they found its structure unwieldy.”
Examples
simple
“By and large, the plan worked well.”
contextual
“By and large, customers are happy with the new service, though a few have complained.”
complex
“By and large, the critics praised the novel for its ambition, even when they found its structure unwieldy.”
Origin
From the nautical practice of observing a vessel's performance both when sailing close by the wind and when sailing large, or downwind, with the sheets extended. The construction combines two distinct points of sail to describe the general handling of a ship under varying conditions.
Key words
Related idioms
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