trim [OE] The history and development of this word are obscure, and shows how dependent we are on luck for the survival of the information we need. Trim appeared in Old English in the sense ‘to make firm, arrange’, but there is little record of it in the medieval period. From the 16th century, though, it burst on the scene to serve many purposes, relating to fitting out ships for sea, preparing a candle wick for use, repairing something, decorating clothing, and cutting away the unwanted parts of something. A trim ship was well equipped and in good condition, which gave us the sense of a slim and fit person having a trim figure. To a sailor to trim a sail [E17th] means ‘to adjust the sail of a boat’. On land to trim your sails came to mean ‘to make changes to suit your new circumstances’, from which we get a trimmer [L17th] for an unscrupulous person who adapts their views to the prevailing political trends.