headwinds

Everyday

1. (literal) wind blowing towards you as you move, which slows you down. tree →
2. (euphemism, business and economics) problems or difficulties that slow growth or hurt sales: «the company faced headwinds». tree →

In the lessons

Business and financial jargon, borrowed from flying and sailing, used to blame outside forces for weak results without admitting mistakes; official, all regions. The literal sense is used in sport, flying and science.

Examples

• Our plane was late because of strong headwinds. tree →
• The cyclists struggled against the headwind. tree →
• The company blamed currency headwinds for weak results. tree →
• The economy faces headwinds from high prices. tree →
• Running into a headwind makes the race harder. tree →
• "Headwinds" is the boss's way of saying sales are down. tree →
• The opposite of a headwind is a tailwind, which helps you. tree →
• A plane flying into a 50 km/h headwind at 800 km/h moves over the ground at 750 km/h. tree →

Note

Trap: in business it means problems, often an excuse. In science, a headwind reduces ground speed: subtract the wind speed; a tailwind adds it. Plain words: problems, difficulties.