What is "to touch the wind"

Touch \Touch\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Touched; p. pr. & vb. n. Touching.] [F. toucher, OF. touchier, tuchier; of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. zucchen, zukken, to twitch, pluck, draw, G. zukken, zukken, v. intens. fr. OHG. ziohan to draw, G. ziehen, akin to E. tug. See Tuck, v. t., Tug, and cf. Tocsin, Toccata.]

1. To come in contact with; to hit or strike lightly against; to extend the hand, foot, or the like, so as to reach or rest on.

   Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear Touched lightly.
   --Milton.

2. To perceive by the sense of feeling.

   Nothing but body can be touched or touch.
   --Greech.

3. To come to; to reach; to attain to.

   The god, vindictive, doomed them never more Ah, men unblessed! -- to touch their natal shore.
   --Pope.

4. To try; to prove, as with a touchstone. [Obs.]

   Wherein I mean to touch your love indeed.
   --Shak.

5. To relate to; to concern; to affect.

   The quarrel toucheth none but us alone.
   --Shak.

6. To handle, speak of, or deal with; to treat of.

   Storial thing that toucheth gentilesse.
   --Chaucer.

7. To meddle or interfere with; as, I have not touched the books.
   --Pope.

8. To affect the senses or the sensibility of; to move; to melt; to soften; especially, to cause feelings of pity, compassion, sympathy, or gratitude in.

   What of sweet before Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this and harsh.
   --Milton.

   The tender sire was touched with what he said.
   --Addison.

9. To mark or delineate with touches; to add a slight stroke to with the pencil or brush.

   The lines, though touched but faintly, are drawn right.
   --Pope.

10. To infect; to affect slightly.
    --Bacon.

11. To make an impression on; to have effect upon.

    Its face . . . so hard that a file will not touch it.
    --Moxon.

12. To strike; to manipulate; to play on; as, to touch an instrument of music.

    [They] touched their golden harps.
    --Milton.

13. To perform, as a tune; to play.

    A person is the royal retinue touched a light and lively air on the flageolet.
    --Sir W. Scott.

14. To influence by impulse; to impel forcibly. `` No decree of mine, . . . [to] touch with lightest moment of impulse his free will,''
    --Milton.

15. To harm, afflict, or distress.

    Let us make a covenant with thee, that thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee.
    --Gen. xxvi. 28, 29.

16. To affect with insanity, especially in a slight degree; to make partially insane; -- rarely used except in the past participle.

    She feared his head was a little touched.
    --Ld. Lytton.

17. (Geom.) To be tangent to. See Tangent, a.

18. To lay a hand upon for curing disease.

19. To compare with; to be equal to; -- usually with a negative; as, he held that for good cheer nothing could touch an open fire. [Colloq.]

20. To induce to give or lend; to borrow from; as, to touch one for a loan; hence, to steal from. [Slang]

    To touch a sail (Naut.), to bring it so close to the wind that its weather leech shakes.

    To touch the wind (Naut.), to keep the ship as near the wind as possible.

    To touch up, to repair; to improve by touches or emendation.