Definition

1. Adverb:
   • With the edge forward or on, by, or toward the edge: Refers to positioning or moving something so that its narrow side, rather than its flat side, is facing forward or is in contact with a surface.
   • As if by an edge; barely: Used figuratively to describe managing to do something, especially to speak, with great difficulty or only by a very narrow opportunity.

Examples of Usage

• Adverb (Literal - Positioning):

  • He sawed the board edgeways to make a thin strip. (He cut the wood using its narrow side as the leading surface.)
  • The bookshelf was too wide to fit through the door, so we turned it edgeways. (We rotated it so its thinner side faced the doorway.)

• Adverb (Figurative - Speaking):

  • She talked so much that I couldn't get a word in edgeways. (Her continuous talking left no opportunity for me to speak.)
  • During the heated debate, he finally managed to slip a comment in edgewise. (He barely succeeded in inserting a remark.)

Advanced Usage

• "To get a word in edgeways/edgewise": This is a common idiomatic expression. It means to succeed in speaking during a conversation where another person is talking incessantly or where it is very difficult to find a pause to interrupt.
  • My boss was explaining the project in such detail that no one could get a word in edgeways.
• The figurative use almost always appears in the negative ("couldn't get a word in edgeways") or to describe a narrow success ("managed to get a word in edgewise").

Variants and Related Words

• Edgewise (adverb): A direct variant with identical meaning and usage to "edgeways." The choice between "edgeways" and "edgewise" is often a matter of regional or personal preference, with "edgewise" being slightly more common in American English, especially in the idiom.
• Edge (noun): The sharp or narrow side of an object.
• Edged (adjective): Having a specified type or number of edges.

Synonyms

• Sideways: Often used similarly for literal positioning (e.g., turn it sideways).
• Barely: For the figurative sense of doing something with minimal opportunity (e.g., ).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Get a word in edgewise: (Phrasal verb idiom) To interject or contribute to a conversation when it is difficult to do so.
  • He was lecturing us, and I just wanted to get a word in edgewise to correct him.

Adverb

1. with the edge forward or on, by, or toward the edge
   • he sawed the board edgeways
   • held it edgewise
2. as if by an edge; barely
   • I could not get a word in edgewise