Hi
What does it mean to “take one’s hand off the tiller”? Does it simply mean to relinquish control/steerage?
I look forward to your feedback
davidmich
“This is what it looks like when the Leader of the Free World decides America would be better off if the United States took its hand off the tiller.”
It means the president has failed to mix a proper amount of compost and sand into the soil of the garden of freedom. :rolleyes:
How is it possible to not understand that the phrase refers to steering a ship by using a, wait for it, tiller. A tiller is basically a lever that allows the helmsman to turn the rudder.
Please tell me you know what a helmsman is.
So the article is obviously opining that Obama (the leader of the free world) has lost control of the direction of the world.
It does not suggest losing control so much as deliberately relinquishing control, or perhaps simply paying insufficient attention to the job of controlling something.
The equivalent for an automobile would be letting go of the steering wheel.
On a bicycle it would be, “Look ma! No hands!”
Right, though I thought it was implied in my answer. A helmsman is steering the ship,* chooses to stop steering* by taking their hands off the tiller, and consequently looses control of the vessel.
Or does so negligently.
If you take your hand off the tiller in the garden, the machine is likely to till up the irises while you ponder the etymology.
Leaving your fate to the winds.
Inappropriate level of snark for a GQ question asked in earnestness.
“It does not suggest losing control so much as deliberately relinquishing control, or perhaps simply paying insufficient attention to the job of controlling something.”
Thankjs njtt. I just needed a precise definition.
Thanks all.
davidmich
or the tiller.
In the early days of automobiles, before the Model T, there was no steering wheel. Steering was accomplished by holding on to a tiller, which resembled the tiller on a boat, which is attached to the rudder. The proper hand placement for operating an early horseless carriage was: one hand on the tiller and one hand on the throttle. When you wanted to stop you had to put a hand on the brake lever. Obviously, people don’t have 3 hands. So once in a while you might have to take your hand off the tiller for a moment. And if, in the moment, the vehicle went out of control and had a crash, people would likely shrug and say “What do you expect? He took his hand off the tiller.”
Similar thing goes for a sailboat. Typically, you have one hand on the tiller (so you can steer) and one hand on the sheet (which is the rope, or “line”, attached to the bottom of the mainsail). Depending on the wind, you pull the sail in closer, or let it further out, and you try to keep your other hand on the tiller.
If you’re out in the middle of a big lake and you want to take a break from sailing so you can eat a sandwich, drink some water, use the bathroom, and you are by yourself… there’s probably very little danger in letting go of both the sheet and the tiller for a few minutes and letting the boat drift. But if you’re maneuvering quickly in close proximity to other boats (or a dock) then taking your hand off the tiller (even for just a few seconds) would be reckless and dangerous.
The phrase taking your hand off the tiller means you are negligent for not maintaining the proper level of control in a tricky situation. You’re being reckless and inviting disaster.
Thank you sbunny8 for that very interesting background.
davidmich
Perhaps Obama drank to much tea. It’s all Cat Steven’s fault.