a wide berth


wide berth

A good distance (between things, people, etc.). Originally referred to ships. Once I learned that there was a lice outbreak, I kept a wide berth from all of my students for the rest of the day. We've been keeping a wide berth from John ever since he dumped our good friend.See also: berth, wide

a wide berth

Ample space or distance to avoid an unwanted consequence: gave their angry colleague a wide berth.See also: berth, wide