The Clue
Veers slightly (4 letter answer)
The Answer
YAWS
Tags
Notes
The answer YAWS is rarely seen, appearing only about once every 1000 puzzles.
Related Clues
Swerves
Swerves at sea
Swerves, at sea
Tropical ailment
Veers away
Deviations of a ship's course
Doesn't go straight
Goes off course
Goes off on a tangent?
Doesn't quite go straight
Definition
YAWS as a noun:
1. (yaws, frambesia, framboesia) = an infectious tropical disease resembling syphilis in its early stages; marked by red skin eruptions and ulcerating lesions
YAW as a noun:
1. (yaw, swerve) = an erratic deflection from an intended course
YAW as a verb:
1. (gape, yawn, yaw) = be wide open; "the deep gaping canyon"
2. deviate erratically from a set course; "the yawing motion of the ship"
3. swerve off course momentarily; "the ship yawed when the huge waves hit it"