# by the way

Pronunciation: say "by thuh WAY" /ˌbaɪ ðə ˈweɪ/

## Idiom

1. Used to introduce a passing remark that is not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; incidentally.
   - Simple: Used when you add something that is not the main thing you are talking about.
   - _By the way, your package arrived while you were out._
   - _The meeting has moved to Thursday, and, by the way, Dana says hello._

## Idiom

2. Beside the point or off the topic, rather than relevant to what is being discussed. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Not about the main thing that people are talking about.
   - _The hotel was dear, but that's by the way; what mattered was the food._
   - _Whether he apologized is by the way, as the contract still stands._

## Origin

The phrase first appeared in the 10th century with the literal meaning "by the side of the road", from Old English weġ ("road"), which became way. Around 1000 it came to mean "during one's journey"; the figurative meaning developed in the mid-16th century, and the modern meaning is first recorded in 1614.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/by-the-way (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).