Mind you, you also have to be careful about the type and size of ship you're on, for example, Barbara's advice about the jib halyard, is the opposite of what I would teach, ie "Flake the halyard and when I yell, take the remaining turns off the pin, and whatever you do DON"T try and hold onto it!" It's the difference between a jib weighing several pounds and one weighing over a hundredweight. (The simple answer Barbara to the problem you postualted is to make sure the bitter end is made fast to the pin rail/cleat.) Often the most dangerous people we have on board are those who sail small yachts but have no conception of the weight and force involved in large and heavy sails.

OK back to nautical terminology that's been absorbed into standard English.

By and large = on the whole = OK in all respects, comes from helming directions eg "Full and By" = slightly off the wind so that all sails are drawing fully, "By the wind" = Hard on the wind with the luff just quivering "Steer large" = basically what we would now call a broad reach. Hence the expression originally meant OK at all points of sailing.

Pete M