Oh, by the by ," he said, suddenly wary," was she a plastic surgery patient?
Susan Isaacs AFTER ALL THESE YEARS (1993)
I'm a sucker for cupcakes, too, but that is by the by.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
And by the by, the dress was just her size.
The Sun (2016)
He doesn't, actually, but that's by the by.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He is also, by the by, a very attentive host.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But for the organic convert the scientific specifics are almost by the by.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Altogether, lunch took an unconscionable two hours, but that's by the by.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
That he never wanted to be in them is by the by.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That's all a bit by the by when you step into it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I've never understood, by the by, why clean hair is so highly prized.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
All related terms of 'by the by'
by the bye
incidentally ; by the way: used as a sentence connector
by the lee
so that the wind is blowing on the wrong side of the sail
by the way
You say by the way when you add something to what you are saying , especially something that you have just thought of.
by the balls
so as to be rendered powerless
by the book
according to the rules; in the prescribed or usual way
by the dozen
in large quantities
by the head
with the bow deeper in the water than the stern
by the neck
(of a bottle of beer ) served unpoured
by the score
If things happen or exist by the score , they happen or exist in large numbers.
by the numbers
in prescribed sequence of movements and accompanied by a count
by the vanload
in very large quantities
by the bucketful
If someone produces or gets something by the bucketful , they produce or get something in large quantities .
go by the board
If something goes by the board , it is rejected or ignored , or is no longer possible.
lead by the nose
to dominate completely
set by the ears
to cause disagreement or commotion
by the same token
You use by the same token to introduce a statement that you think is true for the same reasons that were given for a previous statement.
go by the wayside
to be put aside on account of something more urgent
have by the throat
to have compete control over (a person or thing)
jack-by-the-hedge
a plant, Alliaria petiolata, of N temperate regions, with small white flowers and an odour of garlic : family Brassicaceae ( crucifers )
saved by the bell
said when something happens at the last possible moment which allows you to escape from a difficult situation
fall by the wayside
to fail in something you were doing and give up trying to achieve success in it
be bitten by the bug
to become very enthusiastic about something, and start doing it a lot
to fall by the wayside
If a person or plan falls by the wayside , they fail or stop before they complete what they set out to do.
in the gross
in bulk ; as a whole
take the bull by the horns
to take definite and determined action in order to deal with a difficult situation
by the look of/by the looks of
You use expressions such as by the look of her and by the looks of it when you want to indicate that you are giving an opinion based on the appearance of someone or something.
by the seat of one's pants
by instinct rather than knowledge or experience
by the seat of your pants
If you fly by the seat of your pants or do something by the seat of your pants , you use your instincts to tell you what to do in a new or difficult situation rather than following a plan or relying on equipment .
by the skin of one's teeth
by a narrow margin ; only just
by the skin of your teeth
If you do something by the skin of your teeth , you just manage to do it.
by/through the back door
If you say that someone gets or does something by the back door or through the back door , you are criticizing them for doing it secretly and unofficially.
do something by the book
to do something correctly and strictly, following all the rules
grab something by the throat
to make a determined attempt to control, defeat , or deal with something
have a tiger by the tail
to find oneself in a situation that has turned out to be much more difficult to control than one had expected
lead someone by the nose
to control someone completely so that they do whatever you want
in spadefuls
in an extreme or emphatic way
by name/by the name of something
You can use by name or by the name of when you are saying what someone is called .
do something by the back door
to do something secretly and unofficially
to do sth by the rule book
to do something in the normal , accepted way
to take the bull by the horns
If you take the bull by the horns , you do something that you feel you ought to do even though it is difficult, dangerous , or unpleasant .
fly by the seat of your pants
to do something difficult or dangerous using only your instincts , because you lack the right kind of experience or information about it
have (or get) by the short hairs
to have (or get ) completely at one's mercy
have someone by the short hairs
to have someone completely in your power
something grabs you by the throat
said to mean that something is so powerful , interesting , or exciting that you are forced to pay attention to it
to have by the short and curlies
to have completely in one's power
have someone by the short and curlies
to have someone completely in your power
do something by the skin of your teeth
to just manage to do something, although you very nearly fail
do something by the sweat of your brow
to do something through hard physical work, without any help from anyone else
lift oneself by the (or one's own) bootstraps
to achieve success by one's own unaided efforts
to shake someone's hand shake someone by the hand
If you shake someone's hand or shake someone by the hand , you shake hands with them.