Question

in_the_loop_287 to allow a lot of space between oneself and someone or something else when passing The expression probably originates from the 18th-century meaning of berth: sufficient sea-room for one ship to pass another.

Accepted Answer

GIVE (SOMEONE/SOMETHING) A WIDE BERTH The children never walked on the south side of the road because they would have had to walk right past a frightening guard dog. They gave that dog a wide berth.They couldn’t tell if the driver was ready to back the truck up or whether he even saw them in his rear-view mirror. Just to be safe, they gave the truck a wide berth when they crossed the street behind it.

Id	in_the_loop_287
Idiom	GIVE (SOMEONE/SOMETHING) A WIDE BERTH
Definition	to allow a lot of space between oneself and someone or something else when passing
Examples	The children never walked on the south side of the road because they would have had to walk right past a frightening guard dog. They gave that dog a wide berth. They couldn’t tell if the driver was ready to back the truck up or whether he even saw them in his rear-view mirror. Just to be safe, they gave the truck a wide berth when they crossed the street behind it.
Extra Info	The expression probably originates from the 18th-century meaning of berth: sufficient sea-room for one ship to pass another.

Wide Berth Gave Truck Loop Give Someone/Something Lot