Between wind and water

air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth’s surface:
a gentle wind blew through the valley. high winds were forecast.
a gale; storm; hurricane.
any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.
air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.
wind instrument.
wind instruments collectively.
the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.
breath or breathing:
to catch one’s wind.
the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.
any influential force or trend:
strong winds of public opinion.
a hint or intimation:
to catch wind of a stock split.
air carrying an animal’s odor or scent.
solar wind.
empty talk; mere words.
vanity; conceitedness.
gas generated in the stomach and intestines.
boxing slang. the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath; solar plexus.
any direction of the comp-ss.
a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon:
to throw all caution to the winds.
to expose to wind or air.
to follow by the scent.
to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.
to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.
to catch the scent or odor of game.
between wind and water,

(of a ship) at or near the water line.
in a vulnerable or precarious spot:
in her profession one is always between wind and water.

break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the -n-s.
how the wind blows / lies, what the tendency or probability is:
try to find out how the wind blows.
also, which way the wind blows.
in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind; against the wind.
also, in the eye of the wind, in the wind’s eye.
in the wind, about to occur; imminent; impending:
there’s good news in the wind.
off the wind,

away from the wind; with the wind at one’s back.
(of a sailing vessel) headed into the wind with sails shaking or aback.

on the wind, as close as possible to the wind.
also, on a wind.
sail close to the wind,

also, sail close on a wind. to sail as nearly as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
to practice economy in the management of one’s affairs.
to verge on a breach of propriety or decency.
to escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin; take a risk.

take the wind out of one’s sails, to surprise someone, especially with unpleasant news; stun; shock; flabbergast:
she took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else.
noun
a current of air, sometimes of considerable force, moving generally horizontally from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure see also beaufort scale related adjective aeolian
(mainly poetic) the direction from which a wind blows, usually a cardinal point of the comp-ss
air artificially moved, as by a fan, pump, etc
any sweeping and destructive force
a trend, tendency, or force: the winds of revolution
(informal) a hint; suggestion: we got wind that you were coming
something deemed insubstantial: his talk was all wind
breath, as used in respiration or talk: you’re just wasting wind
(often used in sports) the power to breathe normally: his wind is weak see also second wind
(music)

a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
(often pl) the musicians who play wind instruments in an orchestra
(modifier) of, relating to, or composed of wind instruments: a wind ensemble

an informal name for flatus
the air on which the scent of an animal is carried to hounds or on which the scent of a hunter is carried to his quarry
between wind and water

the part of a vessel’s hull below the water line that is exposed by rolling or by wave action
any point particularly susceptible to attack or injury

break wind, to release intestinal gas through the -n-s
(informal) get the wind up, have the wind up, to become frightened
have in the wind, to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
how the wind blows, how the wind lies, which way the wind blows, which way the wind lies, what appears probable
in the wind, about to happen
(informal) three sheets in the wind, intoxicated; drunk
in the teeth of the wind, in the eye of the wind, directly into the wind
into the wind, against the wind or upwind
(nautical) off the wind, away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
(nautical) on the wind, as near as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
(informal) put the wind up, to frighten or alarm
(brit, informal) raise the wind, to obtain the necessary funds
sail close to the wind, sail near to the wind

to come near the limits of danger or indecency
to live frugally or manage one’s affairs economically

take the wind out of someone’s sails, to destroy someone’s advantage; disconcert or deflate
verb (transitive)
to cause (someone) to be short of breath: the blow winded him

to detect the scent of
to pursue (quarry) by following its scent

to cause (a baby) to bring up wind after feeding by patting or rubbing on the back
to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc
verb winds, winding, wound
often foll by around, about, or upon. to turn or coil (string, cotton, etc) around some object or point or (of string, etc) to be turned etc, around some object or point: he wound a scarf around his head
(transitive) to twine, cover, or wreathe by or as if by coiling, wrapping, etc; encircle: we wound the body in a shroud
(transitive) often foll by up. to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
(transitive) foll by off. to remove by uncoiling or unwinding
(usually intransitive) to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course: the river winds through the hills
(transitive) to introduce indirectly or deviously: he is winding his own opinions into the report
(transitive) to cause to twist or revolve: he wound the handle
(transitive; usually foll by up or down) to move by cranking: please wind up the window
(transitive) to haul, lift, or hoist (a weight, etc) by means of a wind or windl-ss
(intransitive) (of a board, etc) to be warped or twisted
(intransitive) (archaic) to proceed deviously or indirectly
noun
the act of winding or state of being wound
a single turn, bend, etc: a wind in the river
also called winding. a twist in a board or plank
verb winds, winding, winded, wound
(transitive) (poetic) to blow (a note or signal) on (a horn, bugle, etc)
n.

i have forgot much, cynara! gone with the wind. [ernest dowson, 1896]

meaning “breath” is attested from late old english; especially “breath in speaking” (early 14c.), so long-winded, also “easy or regular breathing” (early 14c.), hence second wind in the figurative sense (by 1830), an image from the sport of hunting.

figurative phrase which way the wind blows for “the current state of affairs” is suggested from c.1400. to get wind of “receive information about” is by 1809, perhaps inspired by french avoir le vent de. to take the wind out of (one’s) sails in the figurative sense (by 1883) is an image from sailing, where a ship without wind can make no progress. wind-chill index is recorded from 1939. wind energy from 1976. wind vane from 1725.
v.
wind
(wĭnd)

a current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. surface wind is measured by anemometers or its effect on objects, such as trees. the large-scale pattern of winds on earth is governed primarily by differences in the net solar radiation received at the earth’s surface, but it is also influenced by the earth’s rotation, by the distribution of continents and oceans, by ocean currents, and by topography. on a local scale, the differences in rate of heating and cooling of land versus bodies of water greatly affect wind formation. prevailing global winds are cl-ssified into three major belts in the northern hemisphere and three corresponding belts in the southern hemisphere. the trade winds blow generally east to west toward a low-pressure zone at the equator throughout the region from 30° north to 30° south of the equator. the westerlies blow from west to east in the temperate mid-lat-tude regions (from 30° to 60° north and south of the equator), and the polar easterlies blow from east to west out of high-pressure areas in the polar regions. see also beaufort scale, chinook, foehn, monsoon, santa ana.

wind down
wind up