by the by

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by the by

Where it comes from

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

phrase by the bye · by-the-by · by-the-bye

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,...

adjective more by the by · most by the by · by the bye · by-the-by · by-the-bye

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.
Similar: accidental, causeless, random, accidentary, adventitious, by accident, by the by, casual, chanceable, fortuitous, incidental, lippening

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MLA

"by the by." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/by%20the%20by. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

by the by. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/by%20the%20by

Chicago

"by the by." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/by%20the%20by.

BibTeX

@misc{by_the_by_2026,
  title = {by the by},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/by%20the%20by},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}