In sailing, describing a ship with sails trimmed tightly to sail as close as possible to the direction the wind is coming from.
From 'close' (near) plus 'hauled' (pulled or adjusted). 'Haul' comes from Old Norse and French, describing the action of pulling ropes to adjust sails.
Sailors developed this term because sailing into the wind is actually impossible—you have to zig-zag at the closest angle possible, called 'close-hauled,' and this ancient technique is still how sailboats work today!
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