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

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