Take it into the wheelhouse

Posted by Brian from Shawnee on March 15, 2004

In Reply to: Take it into the wheelhouse posted by ESC on March 15, 2004

: : : : Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "right in my wheelhouse?"
: : : : Based on context, it seems to mean that something fits comfortably into an individual's area of expertise. I assume the metaphor came to be because the wheelhouse is where one navigates a boat -- i.e., a place where one is in control. Does anyone know how the phrase developed and came to enter common usage?

: : : I don't know. But I read a similar phrase and was wondering what it meant. I am guessing that it has to do with navigation.

: : : TAKE IT INTO THE WHEELHOUSE - ".we're going to take it into this administration's supposed wheelhouse." From "Had Enough: A Handbook for Fighting Back" by James Carville with Jeff Nussbaum (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2003) Page 30.

: : "Right in his wheelhouse" is a common expression in U.S. baseball, though I don't know how old it is, or if it originated as a sports expression.

: : In baseball, it refers to the location of a pitch that makes it easy to hit for a particular batter.

: Wheelhouse -- A hitter's power zone. Usually a pitch waist-high and over the heart of the plate.

: Is everything about sports?

There certainly are a lot of colorful characters involved in sports, as in politics. There must be some connection that causes politicians to borrow so many sports metaphors and sayings. Could be that the camaraderie of a political team during a campaign season evokes the memories of high school and college athletics. I bet the level of testosterone is roughly equivalent.