In speech there are many sayings, proverbs and expressions, the meaning of which is gradually erased from human memory, but I still wanted to know their original meaning. One such expression is "keeping your nose downwind."
The expression "keeping your nose to the wind" means that you need to listen to changes, to be sensitive to new events taking place in life. A negative meaning is also attributed to this expression, when it is meant that a person can unscrupulously seek benefits, looking for good for himself in the current situation, but not for others. Where did this expression come from? Its origin has two variants.
Marine theme
It is believed that the expression "keeping the bow to the wind" may have appeared in the era of sailing ships. And then under the nose was meant not the nose of a person or a creature, but the nose of a ship. In order for the ship to sail smoothly in all sails, it was very important to catch the tailwind, for which the ship had to be directed with its bow along the blowing wind. This required a lot of art, skill and concentration, as well as the well-coordinated work of the entire crew of the ship. Only a ship, whose sails were spread by the wind blowing directly into them, could develop high speed, evade pursuit, quickly transport goods, reach their destination just as quickly, and even win battles.
Captains, who knew how to manage their own crew and ship, were highly valued, and their ships were snapped up by merchants or the military. Later, when the era of sailing ships ended, the expression associated with the bow of the ship and the wind remained due to its great popularity and vitality.
Hunting
But there is also a second variant of the origin of the expression. On the hunt, people noticed that the dog bends its head to the ground to track tracks, but to smell the prey from a long distance, it sniffs the wind sensitively, raising its head above the grass and directing its nose to the wind. This allows the animal to determine the location of a fox or hare at a distance of even several kilometers and sneak up on them unnoticed. And since the wind blows towards the hunters, the animal will not smell the dog. If the wind blows from the animal towards the hunter, he will always be able to track down his prey. Therefore, "keeping your nose downwind" means "sniffing and listening to changes."
In addition, such observation of dogs on a hunt has taught many travelers, military and hunters to properly organize a night in the wild, make a fire, and hide from the enemy. Whatever the origin of this expression, it remains interesting and amusing enough for modern realities.
