词源趣谈 | by and large 大体上

by and large 表示“大体上、基本上”之意。它的产生和帆船有关，是当时水手们的行话。

by the wind 指逆风而行， sailing large 指顺风而行。所以，by and large 即指两种极端状态间的平衡，或从总体上考虑事物。