as an aside
1. A phrase that prefaces a comment indirectly related to the topic being discussed. Today we will be discussing the electoral college, but, as an aside, did anyone see the debate last night? I did get that paperwork from John this morning, and as an aside, he's looking fine as ever! So we should have the report finished up by this afternoon. Oh, and as an aside, I managed to organize a meeting with the CEO tomorrow.
2. Said quietly to certain people, not an entire group. "Wow, the lead sure needs acting lessons," my mother muttered as an aside when intermission began. "What is going on with Tad's hair today?" I whispered as an aside to my best friend, who could only shrug in response. Miss Williams? If there's something you feel compelled to share as an aside to your friends back there, surely you can tell the whole class, right?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
as an aside
[said] as a comment that is not supposed to be heard by everyone. At the wedding, Tom said as an aside, "The bride doesn't look well." At the ballet, Billy said as an aside to his mother, "I hope the dancers fall off the stage!"
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.