trim

out of trim

1. Unprepared, as of ships that are not ready to sail. "To trim," in the nautical sense, means to adjust a ship's balance or sails. No, we can't leave yet, the boat is out of trim!

2. In poor condition, usually physically. I know I need to get back to the gym—I'm really out of trim these days. A: "I checked on the house a few months ago, why?" B: "It's completely out of trim! Paint is peeling, windows are broken, it's a mess!"

be in fighting trim

To be prepared to tackle a situation, often with an emphasis on one's physical strength or readiness. Primarily heard in US. You'll do great in the race—after months of training, you're in fighting trim.

fit and trim

slim and in good physical shape. Jean tried to keep herself fit and trim at all times. For some people, keeping fit and trim requires time, effort, and self-discipline.

trim (oneself) down

to take action to become slimmer or lose weight. I need to trim myself down before I go on vacation. I decided to trim down, but I never got around to it. You really need to trim down and stay at a lower weight.

trim something away (from something)

to cut something away (from something). The butcher trimmed the fat away from the steak. Please trim away the fat from the meat.

trim something down

to reduce the size of something. You will have to trim the picture down to get it into the frame. Trim down the picture before you frame it.

trim something from something

to cut something away from something. I trimmed the fat from the steaks. We had to trim a lot of the fat from the meat after we got it home.

trim something off (of) someone or something

and trim something off

to cut something off someone or something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) I asked the barber to trim the beard off of Ralph. The barber trimmed off Ralph's beard.

trim something with something

to decorate something with something. She trimmed the dress with lace. Bobby and Timmy trimmed the tree with colorful ornaments.

be in fighting trim

(mainly American)

ready to deal with a situation, especially because you are in good physical condition It was a challenging performance, but the dancers were in fighting trim.

See come out fighting

trim your sails

to spend less money The school is having to trim its sails because of government cutbacks.

trim one's sails

Modify one's stand, adapt to circumstances, as in His advisers told him to trim his sails before he alienated voters and bungled the election completely . This metaphoric expression alludes to adjusting a ship's sails to take full advantage of prevailing winds. [Late 1700s]

trim down

1. To reduce something by or as if by cutting away the excess: The company is trimming down its budget this year. The editor trimmed the long manuscript down to 200 pages.

2. To lose weight, as by dieting or exercise: The doctor advised me to trim down.

trim off

To remove some excess by or as if by cutting: I trimmed off the rotten wood. The barber will trim my bangs off.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Jackin	-	Medieval English
Tabea	tah-BE-ah	German
Alexina	al-əg-ZEE-nə	English
Tabby	TAB-ee	English
Ryann	rie-AN	English (Modern)
MoisÉS	moi-SES (Spanish)	Spanish, Portuguese