(nautical) to shorten sail / (figuratively) to trim one's sails, to make cutbacks, to reduce costs and manpower

retired, in retirement

with cockeyed optimism, with naive overconfidence

(figuratively) to learn one's lesson

to keep up, to keep pace

(transitive with de) to come to someone's defence, to stand up for someone

(nautical) at the helm / (figuratively) at the helm

(transitive with à) to give the floor to someone, to let someone speak

(informal) to come off, to succeed, to go over well; to be well received

(intransitive) to save one's own skin / (transitive with à) to save someone's bacon, to pull someone's bacon out of the fire