edgewise
/'edʤweiz/ Cách viết khác : (edgewise) /'edʤwaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adverb 1. With the edge foremost or uppermost; positioned so that the edge is the leading or significant part. 2. By or with the edge; along the side or border. 3. (Figuratively, in the phrase "get a word in edgewise") To manage to say something, especially when it is difficult to interrupt or contribute to a conversation dominated by others.
Usage and Examples
- He carefully slid the large, thin painting edgewise through the narrow doorway.
- To fit all the books on the shelf, you need to place some of them edgewise.
- The carpenter planed the board edgewise to ensure a perfectly straight side.
- (Figurative) She talked so much and so fast that no one could get a word in edgewise.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- The primary use is literal, describing the orientation of an object.
- The figurative use is almost exclusively in the fixed phrase "to get a word in edgewise" (or "edgeways"), which implies a forceful or clever insertion of speech into a limited conversational space, much like sliding something thin into a narrow gap.
Variants and Related Words
- Edgeways (adverb): An alternative, chiefly British, form with identical meanings to "edgewise."
- Edge (noun/verb): The central word from which "edgewise" is derived, meaning the border or sharp side of an object, or to move cautiously.
Synonyms
- Sideways (in some literal contexts regarding orientation)
- On edge (for orientation, though this can also mean "nervous")
- For the phrase: interject, interpose, break in.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Get a word in edgewise/edgeways (idiom): To succeed in saying something when someone else is talking continuously.
- Example: He was monopolizing the discussion, and I finally got a word in edgewise to present my idea.
Adverb
- as if by an edge; barely
- I could not get a word in edgewise
- with the edge forward or on, by, or toward the edge
- he sawed the board edgeways
- held it edgewise