Edgeways or edgewise

[bluesoup1]

Help me settle a debate.

Do you say "can't get a word in edgeways" or "can't get a word in edgewise"

It’s edgeways

Edgeways .... I’m probably wrong though

Edgeways - never heard edgewise?!

Edgeways.

Only a few replies so far but I see where this is going! Phew. I'm not mad.

I live in Australia now. A couple of nights ago while with 5 other people I said "edgeways". 2 argued that its edgewise and the other 3 had no idea what we were talking about and had never heard of it. So it seems like a much less common turn of phrase here and those who do say it, say it differently.

Also it seems in the US they say edgewise.

Do they also say 'sidewise'? Edgewise makes no sense.

It’s definitely ridgeways ☺️

Edgeways even haha. Autocorrect doesn’t agree with me 🙈

@KEG05

Edgeways even haha. Autocorrect doesn’t agree with me 🙈

Yes I've found this! Edgewise comes up in predictive spelling but edgeways doesn't which makes me wonder if it originally was edgewise?

I'm sure it's edgewise but I say edgeways. Edgewise doesn't even make sense!

I’m Australian and definitely say “edgeways” as do my family and friends who I have heard say it. Never heard “edgewise”

@Alexindiamondarmour

I’m Australian and definitely say “edgeways” as do my family and friends who I have heard say it. Never heard “edgewise”

Is it generally a common turn of phrase here? I've never really thought about it so haven't noticed if I've heard people say it much. But 3 of my friends said they never hear anyone say it.

Phrases
get a word in edgeways — contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks incessantly.
"give him a bit of limelight and away he goes—no one else can get a word in edgeways"

Google says Edgeways

@WoodenKitty

Phrases get a word in edgeways — contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks incessantly. "give him a bit of limelight and away he goes—no one else can get a word in edgeways"

Google says Edgeways

Google also says this. I had no idea edgewise was a thing until my friends debated me on it.

get a word in edgewise

phrase of edgewise

1	contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks incessantly."I didn't get a word in edgewise for an hour"





Edgeways

Edgewise is not a word.

Funnily enough I have just finished one of JK Rowling's Coromoran Strike books and that said 'a word in edgewise' in it and I thought it was odd?

@GuyFawkesDay

Edgeways

Edgewise is not a word.

Actually edgewise comes up in predictive text. Edgeways doesn't. I'm new to "edgewise" also but it seems only the Brits sag edgeways

Edgewise is how they say it in the US and presumably Oz. It’s a bit like disorientated and disoriented - the former is how it’s spelt and pronounced in the UK, the latter is American.

I’d see ‘Edgewise’ all the time when reading American books in my youth... thought it was a typo the first few times!

Imo it's ways.
Wise means clever, sensible.
If the other person is dominating the conversation, you can't slip a sentence in at the side clever of their monologue.

Nope. Doesn't make sense.

Can't manage to squeeze a sentence through a tiny gap , can't find a way to have a turn to speak does.

Finding a tiny gap to speak.
A way.
Edgeways.

Also ‘wise’ can mean ‘in the direction of’, eg clockwise. So I guess it comes from trying to fit the word in on its edge ‘the direction of its edge, ie edgewise’, in order to squeeze it in to the conversation.

It's a nautical phrase.

It's probably one where both interpretations are used but as far as I know, edgeways is the more correct English?

@WorryWartOne “edgewise” definitely isn’t the way it’s said here in Australia.

The word is definitely edgeways and it’s used pretty often enough - I’m a talker so often used to get told when I was younger to stop chatting because my friends couldn’t get a word in edgeways!!

Edgeways. I've only ever heard edgewise once in an American TV show.

@WorryWartOne

Also ‘wise’ can mean ‘in the direction of’, eg clockwise. So I guess it comes from trying to fit the word in on its edge ‘the direction of its edge, ie edgewise’, in order to squeeze it in to the conversation.

Ooh. Yes. You're right. I'd forgotten about that.

Posted too soon. I suppose it could have been either originally then.