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 conversation despite another person or group of people speaking continually without pause. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.,3Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.
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Usage
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.
Examples Of Use
“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. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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Sources
| 1, 4. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. |
| 3. | ↲ | Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. |