The Russian language is great and mighty. But, apparently, there is no limit to perfection, since at certain periods of time it begins to replenish with words and expressions that other peoples share with us. For example, the famous expression shershe La femme, which means “look for a woman” in French, has taken root quite well in Russian open spaces. Or the word "maneuver", the meaning of which is no secret to anyone. However, few people know about its origin.
The Age of Peter I
During the reign of Peter the Great, a stream of foreign words poured into the Russian Empire, especially those related to maritime affairs. Due to the fact that shipbuilders were, as a rule, from Holland, the terms were brought into the Russian language from this country.
For example, this is the origin of the word "to maneuver", the meaning of which is "to move againstwind". It is borrowed from the Dutch language during the time of Peter I. The word is written in the historical homeland as laveeren, and is formed from the noun loef, which means "wind".
What the dictionaries say
In various sources, the word "tack" has several meanings. One of them has to do with the sea and shipbuilding. The expression "ships tacked" means that they were going against the wind, substituting for it either the right or the left side. That is, if you trace the trajectory of the ship, it will be represented by a broken line.
The second meaning of the word "tack" is no longer related to ships. However, it corresponds to the winding trajectory of someone or something, due to the need to go around obstacles encountered on the way.
That is, it does not matter if it is the movement of an animate subject or an inanimate object.
Diplomatic tricks
One more figurative meaning derived from "to maneuver". Has more to do with psychology and diplomacy.
Firstly, in this context, "to maneuver" means to deftly dodge trouble, to adapt to circumstances. In this case, the Russian expression "came out of the water" most accurately conveys the meaning of the word.
Secondly, "maneuvering" refers to the ability to express yourself so subtly and gracefully and move from topic to topic that the interlocutor has no way of noticing when he was let downto discuss an uncomfortable issue. Moreover, the conversation seems to be casual, it does not touch on sensitive topics or smooths them over.
Thus, in this case we are dealing with streamlined formulations, the meaning of which can only be caught between the lines. Which is the art of diplomacy. In addition, this skill is often used in diplomatic letters, as well as wherever they want, without demonstrating their interest too much, to lead the opponent to a discussion of a certain issue.
