Also: Get a word in edgeways
Meaning of Idiom ‘Get a Word in Edgewise’
To get a word in edgewise means to find an opportunity to contribute to a conversation despite another person or group of people speaking continually without pause. 1,2,3
This idiom is usually used in a negative way to express difficulty in being able to make oneself heard in a conversation because another person talks incessantly.
See related talk idioms:
Sentence Examples
“Sherry sure likes to talk. I can never get a word in edgewise.”
“The uproar over the governor’s controversial decision caused a no holds barred shouting match at today’s press conference. The governor could not get a word in edgewise.”
“I like my neighbor but he’ll talk your ear off. It’s impossible to get a word in edgewise.”
Origin
Used since at least the early 1700s.
This idiom alludes figuratively to turning an object on its edge to facilitate inserting it into a small space. 4
More Idioms Starting with G
- Get Out of My Hair
- Go Over the Same Old Ground
- Get With It
- Get With the Program
- Going to (Will) Murder (Kill) Someone
More Get Idioms
More Word Idioms
References- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
- Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.