Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
by the bye

by the bye

1 9.0
To say something extra that is not about the main topic
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : por cierto
  • by the bye, did you hear about the new cafe that just opened downtown?

Examples

  • By the bye, if you should run into any difficulties in England, let me know.

    A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

  • Oh, and by the bye, that car is clearly going to be great fun to drive.

    Blog text (29)

  • By the bye, I mean to lecture you a little upon their account myself.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • You are kinder, by the bye, to your books than I am.

    Blog text (4)

  • The collection agency has a tame lawyer or two on call who will take your case to court, by the bye.

    Blog text (14)

  • By the bye, if Lord Lilley blames you, as you say he will, I should be happy to reason with him on the matter.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • By the bye, sweetheart, you'll never guess what the Roth woman said to me last week.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • by the bye, I wanted to mention that the meeting has been rescheduled.

  • I saw your brother yesterday, and by the bye, he asked about you.

Synonyms

by the way
vsby the bye
  • Informal
448 1.5

To introduce a new topic that is not directly related

is the same meaning but uses different wording
incidentally
vsby the bye
159 4.8

To add extra information not directly related

is phrased as a short multiword expression rather than a single word
in passing
vsby the bye
27 3.8

While mentioning something briefly without giving it much attention

introduces a new incidental topic rather than serving as a brief aside
in other news
vsby the bye
  • Literature
12 3.2

To introduce a new topic after talking about something else

is more general for incidental additions, not limited to reporting style
BTW
vsby the bye
  • Texting
7.2

To add a short extra comment in a message or conversation

is expressed in full words rather than as an abbreviation
en passant
vsby the bye
9.9

To say something quickly as a side remark, not as the main point

introduces a distinct incidental topic rather than staying a mere side remark
apropos
vsby the bye
  • Formal
8.1

To introduce a new topic that is related to what was said

is used for incidental additions without necessarily stressing relevance

Surface Forms

by the bye positive

Morphology

by + the + bye

The phrase 'by the bye' is an idiomatic/archaic way to mean 'incidentally' and this sense is not transparently derivable from the literal constituents 'by' + 'the' + 'bye' (learners who know 'bye' mainly as a shortening of 'goodbye' will not see the connection). Its historical sense (something said in passing) is lexicalized and unpredictable for a B1 learner, so prior exposure is needed to understand it.

Etymology

By the bye comes from the picture of stepping off the main road and walking along a small side path. The word bye means a side way and by shows you are beside it. On that side path people would say something extra, so the phrase came to mean 'incidentally'.