sidelong
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]1520s, from Middle English sidlyng (early 14th century), from side -lyng (“(frequentative)”) (modern English -le (“(frequentative)”)). Reanalyzed as side long.[1]
Adjective
[edit]sidelong (not comparable)
- Directed to the side; sideways.
- He cast me a sidelong glance.
- Slanting or sloping; oblique.
- Indirect; suggestive; not straightforward.
- She made some sidelong remarks about his manhood.
- Along the side of something.
- 1961 February, “Talking of Trains: Collision at Newcastle”, in Trains Illustrated, page 76:
- The passenger train was signalled from one of the west end bay platforms along the Down South Line; as it passed through a crossover to the Up South Line the freight train, which had been travelling slowly to the Up South Line, over-ran the signal protecting the crossover and came into sidelong collision with it.
Synonyms
[edit]- inside-out (rare, obs.)
Translations
[edit]Adverb
[edit]sidelong (comparative more sidelong, superlative most sidelong)
- Towards the side; sideways.
- obliquely
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “sidelong”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.