Sailing:

Sailing as a sport derives (developed) from the time when boats were a means of transportation, one of the most efficient ways of carrying people and goods from one place to another, and sailing a ship was work instead of play. It is difficult to know whether the idioms developed from earlier nautical terms or from the sport of sailing.

IDIOM: sail (right) through something
sailing

MEANING 1: to sail through a storm
SENTENCE 1: We sailed through that storm better than I thought.

MEANING 2: to do something easily
SENTENCE 2: He sailed through that assignment.

IDIOM: run a taut or tight ship
sailing
MEANING 1: To sail well, the crew and the ropes need to be taut and in good order. The captain of the ship controls this.
SENTENCE 1: The captain runs a tight ship. There have been no accidents.

MEANING 2: to be in control, to have good organizational skills
SENTENCE 2: It's good that the new executive will run a tight ship. No one knew what his job responsibilities were before.

IDIOM: take the wind out of someone's sails
sailing

MEANING 1: A sailboat needs wind in its sails to move.
SENTENCE 1: That boat tacked in front of us and took the wind out of our sails.

MEANING 2: to stop or slow someone down
SENTENCE 2: He didn't get a good evaluation. It really took the wind out of his sails.

IDIOM: learn the ropes, know the ropes
sailing

MEANING 1: Ropes are integral (central) to the sport of sailing;
SENTENCE 1: If you want to be a sailor, you need to learn how the ropes work for the jib and mainsail .

MEANING 2: to learn how to do anything
SENTENCE 2: You'll learn the ropes of this job soon enough

DERIVATION: Hundreds of ropes were needed to work the sails of the great ships that sailed the oceans in years past. It took many months for a sailor to learn (to use) the ropes. After months at sea, he would have learned the ropes.

IDIOM: lower the boom
sailing

MEANING 1: to put the boom of a sailboat down (See DERIVATION below for definition of "boom".)
SENTENCE 1: Lower the boom as we come into the harbor. We won't need as much wind. MEANING 2: to reprimand, scold or get angry at someone

SENTENCE 2: Joe was not performing at work. The boss lowered the boom on him. He told him to improve his work or he would be fired.

DERIVATION: The boom is a heavy piece of wood or metal attached to the mast of a ship to which the sail is attached. Sailors must be careful to not be underthe boom when it is lowered or they might be hit on the head.

IDIOM: from stem to stern
sailing

MEANING 1: from the front end to the rear end of a boat
SENTENCE 1: Please wash (down) the boat from stem to stern.

MEANING 2: to do something thoroughly from one end to another
SENTENCE 2: Please clean the office from from stem to stern.

IDIOM: give someone a wide berth sailing

MEANING 1: to give another ship plenty of room to pass by
SENTENCE 1: Give the tanker a wide berth.

MEANING 2: to stay away from someone or something
SENTENCE 2: Give the drug dealer a wide berth. He is bad.

IDIOM: take a new tack (took a new tack, past tense)
sailing

MEANING 1: changing direction to take advantage of the wind
SENTENCE 1: Let's take a new tack in approaching the harbor. She took a new tack in approaching the harbor.

MEANING 2: to try a different approach, a new method
SENTENCE 2: Let's take a different or new tack to that mathematical problem. We aren't getting a solution.

IDIOM: seven sheets to the wind
sailing

MEANING 1: sails not tied down; the sails are flapping in the wind.
SENTENCE 1: We're seven sheets to the wind. Let's pull in the sails.

MEANING 2: to be drunk, usually on alcohol
SENTENCE 2: He's seven sheets to the wind. Who's the designated driver?

IDIOM: let her rip
sailing & boating

MEANING 1: to start sailing, start the motor, let out the sails
SENTENCE 1: We're out of the harbor. Let her rip.

MEANING 2: to start something
SENTENCE 2: Let's go. Let her rip.

IDIOM: make waves sailing, boating, water skiing

MEANING 1: Waves make it difficult to steer a boat or to stay upright in the water.
SENTENCE 1: Don't make waves for that small boat. Give her a wide berth.

MEANING 2: to cause trouble, to do something that is different
SENTENCE 2: Don't make waves for the boss. She is under pressure.

IDIOM: bail out
sailing, boating, flying

MEANING 1: to take water out of a boat; to parachute out of a plane that is going down
SENTENCE 1: Bail outt the ship. We're sinking. We better bail out of the plane. We're on fire.

MEANING 2: to help, to save
SENTENCE 2: The government is bailing out the savings and loan banks .

IDIOM: go overboard
sailing & boating

MEANING 1: to go over the deck of a boat into the water
SENTENCE 1: There was a terrible storm and the captain yelled, "man overboard."

MEANING 2: to do too much, to do something to excess
SENTENCE 2: Don't go overboard on decorations for the party. I don't want to spend too much.

IDIOM: deep-six someone or something
sailing & naval

MEANING 1: to throw overboard
SENTENCE 1: Let's deep-six the treasure chest.

MEANING 2: to throw something away
SENTENCE 2: Let's deep-six that chapter and write a new one.

IDIOM: ride something out, ride out something (the storm) sailing & naval

MEANING 1: to sail through bad weather
SENTENCE 1: Let's ride out the storm.

MEANING 2: to persist in doing something difficult, to endure
SENTENCE 2: The prime minister decided to ride out the scandal.

IDIOM: off to a running start track and field,
sailing, horse sports

MEANING 1: moving at the start
SENTENCE 1: The sailboats were off to a running start as they passed the buoys.

MEANING 2: a good start on something
SENTENCE 2: Good outline. You're off to a running start on that essay.

There are many idioms with "hang" in them. To hang has many meanings, but in the following terms, to hang means to lean or be suspended. These terms are used in surfing and sailing and have become common in every day usage.

IDIOM: Hang in there.
sailing, wind surfing, surfing, hang gliding

MEANING 1: to stay with something
SENTENCE 1: Hang in there. The sea is rough.

MEANING 2: to persist in doing something, to stay with something
SENTENCE 2: Hang in there. Staying on a low fat diet is no fun.

DERIVATION: The sailor, wind surfer, glider counterbalances the angle of the boat, surfboard, windsurfer by hanging out over the water.

IDIOM: hang loose

MEANING 1 & 2: to relax
SENTENCE 1: Relax and hang loose as you ride the wave.

SENTENCE 2: Hang loose about the boss' report. You're all tense.