West By South for Dummies

Hey there! So, I'm gonna break down the meaning of "West by South" for you, no problem! Imagine you're standing in the center of a big compass rose, facing due north. When you turn to your right, you're facing east. If you were to keep turning to your right, you'd be facing south, right? Good. Now, if you continue turning to your right, you'd be facing west, correct?

Alright, now let's add a little twist to this. "West by South" is what we call a compass point, or a direction. It's a way to describe a direction that is located between west and southwest. It's not quite as far west as due west, but it's also not as far south as due south. Instead, it's a spot that falls on the compass rose between the two.

Let's think of it this way: imagine you're at the very westernmost point of a line, and you need to move towards the south. However, you don't want to go straight south. Instead, you want to head a little bit more towards the west. So, you end up moving in a direction that is slightly west but mostly south. That's what "West by South" is.

Now, just to clarify a bit more, there's also something called "South by West." Can you guess where that would be on the compass rose? That's right, it's another direction located between south and southwest, but this time, it's a little more towards the south than west.

So, in summary, "West by South" is a direction found between west and southwest. It describes a movement that is predominantly south but also has a slight inclination towards the west. Remember, it's like taking a step towards the south while keeping one foot slightly towards the west.