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By the by

adj, prep_phrase

Definitions

Adjective

1
Incidental; unplanned.
"These sudden rains. Not tropical - with lightning, thunder, great release after hours of tension. But more nonchalant, more "by-the-by." As if the clouds, rushing to get somewhere else, were to drop some rain in passing."

Prep_phrase

1
Used to introduce a new topic; incidentally, by the way.
"Now, Mrs. Clarke was one of those to whom caps and crape were the very morality of mourning—she was not the only one, by the by, with whom propriety stands for principle,..."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The second "by" is a noun meaning "a secondary issue". Phrase used since the 17th century.

Etymology 2

The second "by" is a noun meaning "a secondary issue". Phrase used since the 17th century.

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