sidelong

English

Etymology

1520s, from Middle English sidlyng (early 14th century), from side + -lyng (“(frequentative)”) (modern English -le (“(frequentative)”)). Reanalyzed as side +‎ long.^[1]

Adjective

sidelong (not comparable)

1. Directed to the side; sideways.

   He cast me a sidelong glance.

2. Slanting or sloping; oblique.
3. Indirect; suggestive; not straightforward.

   She made some sidelong remarks about his manhood.

4. 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

• inside-out (rare, obs.)

Translations

sideways

Bulgarian: страничен (bg) (straničen) Italian: obliquo (it) Latin: oblīquus

Adverb

sidelong (comparative more sidelong, superlative most sidelong)

1. Towards the side; sideways.
2. obliquely

Related terms

• sidle
• sideling, sidling

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “sidelong”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• doelings, glenoids, on-glides, onglides