Definition

1. Noun:
   • A light carried on the side of a vessel: A nautical light that indicates a boat's or ship's direction and orientation at night. By convention, vessels display a red light on the port (left) side and a green light on the starboard (right) side.
   • Incidental or supplementary information: A piece of information that is not central to the main topic but provides interesting or clarifying context.
   • A light coming from the side: A source of illumination positioned at or coming from one side, often used in photography, theater, or interior design to create specific lighting effects.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Nautical):
  • The captain checked the sidelights to ensure they were functioning before the night voyage.
  • The collision was avoided because the other vessel's red sidelight was clearly visible.
• Noun (Supplementary Information):
  • The biography provided a fascinating sidelight on the poet's early years.
  • His comment offered an interesting sidelight to the main discussion.
• Noun (Side Illumination):
  • The photographer used a soft sidelight to highlight the subject's features.
  • In the theater, sidelights are often used to create dramatic shadows.

Advanced Usage

• "to cast/throw a sidelight on something": To provide additional or incidental information that helps explain or illuminate a subject.
  • The newly discovered letters cast a valuable sidelight on the author's creative process.
• "by the sidelight of": Using something as a source of indirect or secondary illumination or understanding.
  • We can understand the era better by the sidelight of these personal diaries.

Variants and Related Words

• Sidelights (plural noun): Often refers specifically to the pair of red and green nautical lights, or to the additional pieces of incidental information.
  • The ship's sidelights were clearly visible in the fog.

Synonyms

• Nautical Light: Running light, navigation light.
• Supplementary Information: Aside, incidental detail, footnote, illumination.
• Side Illumination: Cross-light, edge light.

Related Phrases

• Port sidelight: Specifically the red light on a vessel's left side.
• Starboard sidelight: Specifically the green light on a vessel's right side.

Idioms and Figurative Use

• While not a common idiom itself, the word is used figuratively in the phrase "to shed/throw a sidelight on", meaning to offer a secondary perspective or piece of clarifying information.
  • The interview shed an unexpected sidelight on the company's internal culture.

Noun

1. light carried by a boat that indicates the boat's direction; vessels at night carry a red light on the port bow and a green light on the starboard bow