You are described in English as “windward” if you are facing the wind or standing on the side of an object exposed to the wind, for example, the windward side of a boat.
In Italian this concept is translated as gain the upper hand (more than “Above” + Vento “wind”), which is also a feature of common idioms: take overliterally means “going against the wind.”
take over
gain the upper hand/achieve better results
take over what would you say gain the upper hand or defeat someone. In both languages, this phrase is used to describe a situation in which someone or something comes to dominate or control a situation.
During the interview, I felt scared and unable to express myself clearly.
During the interview process, fear began to take over and I was no longer able to speak clearly.
As you may have guessed, this idiom is derived from nautical terminology. The windward side was (and still is) of great strategic importance as it had the advantage of being upwind, allowing the ship to better control its movement against enemy ships.
Over time, the phrase evolved from a literal nautical use to a figurative use. Just as a ship on the windward side has an advantage over its surroundings or enemies, so does a man or force take over prevail in certain circumstances.
You can also expect to encounter related expressions gain the upper hand (“towards the wind”) and keep the upper hand (“keep to the wind”), which means gain the upper hand and maintain advantage respectively.
notes: This character can also be written as a “v” – against the wind – This is true when referring to definitions related to maritime or wind. However, when it means “upward,” it is always written with a double “v.”
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
