Come up for air

Posted by Masakim on November 30, 2001

In Reply to: Come up for air posted by R. Berg on November 30, 2001

: : Dictionaries define "come up for air" as 'to have rest.' Has anybody seen it used in other meanings, e.g. 'come to the surface, become visible'?

: Well, yes, there's the literal meaning, of course: of a swimming creature that breathes air (e.g., seal, whale, beaver, otter, human), to rise to the surface of the water in order to inhale.

He breathed like a diver coming up for air. (Laurens van der Post, _The Lost World of the Kalahari_, 1958)

It's in these warm lagoons that the whales come each year to breed and nurse their young
But along their long journey, the whales have to come up for air.
From Whale Watching at: islandiasport.com/ prod04.htm

"The Whale"
The whale is swimming out to sea, / Out to sea, out to sea, / The whale is swimming out to sea / Early in the morning.
The whale is diving far below, / Far below, far below, / The whale is diving far below, / Early in the morning.
The whale is coming up for air, /Up for air, up for air, / The whale is coming up for air, / Early in the morning.