- Home
- Idioms
- beside
beside
beside the cushion
Unimportant. A digression. Oh, that's beside the cushion. Let's get back to the main topic.
be beside (oneself)
To be very emotional, especially shocked or distraught. I was beside myself when I found out I'd been rejected from my first-choice school. Honestly, we've all been beside ourselves since the funeral.
be beside the point
To be tangential or insignificant. I do love the apartment, but that's beside the point because I don't have enough money for a security deposit right now. Your weekend plans are beside the point—let's get back to the topic at hand.
beside oneself (with something)
Fig. in an extreme state of some emotion. I was beside myself with joy. Sarah could not speak. She was beside herself with anger.
beside the point
and beside the questionirrelevant; of no importance. That's very interesting, but beside the point. That's beside the point. You're evading the issue.
*black mark beside one's name
Fig. something negative associated with a person. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give one ~.) I did it again! Now I've got still another black mark beside my name!
pale beside someone or something
Fig. to appear to be weak or unimportant when compared to someone or something. He is competent, but he pales beside Fran. My meager effort pales beside your masterpiece.
set something beside something
to place something near or next to something. Please set the chair beside the window. I set the suitcase beside the door so I would not forget it.
beside yourself
extremely upset or excited My mother was beside herself with curiosity.
beside the point
not important
I can't think of anything that he and I agree on, but that's beside the point. Opposite of:
to the point be beside yourself
to feel an emotion that is so strong it is impossible to control He was beside himself when she didn't come home last night. (often + with ) We were beside ourselves with excitement as we watched the race.
See be beside the pointbe beside the point
to be in no way connected to the subject that is being discussed Ian's a nice guy but that's beside the point. He doesn't have the right experience for the job.
beside oneself
In a state of extreme agitation or excitement, as in She was beside herself when she found she'd lost her ring, or Peter was beside himself with joy-he'd won the poetry award. This phrase appears in the New Testament (Acts 26:24): "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning makes thee mad." [Late 1400s]
beside the point
Also,
beside the mark or question . Irrelevant, off the subject. For example,
Whether you had insurance is beside the point; the accident is your fault. These terms came into common use in the mid-1800s. Also see
neither here nor there.
beside (oneself)
In a state of extreme excitement or agitation: They were beside themselves with glee.
beside the mark
Beside the point; irrelevant.
beside the point
Irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Common Names:
| Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
|---|
| Bishop | | ['biʃəp] | |
| Kadmos | | - | Greek Mythology |
| KÁJa | | - | Czech |
| Raphael | | ra-fa-EL (French), RAF-ee-el (English), RAY-fee-əl (English) | German, French, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek |
| Pippin (2) | | PIP-in (English) | Literature |
| Adelheid | | AH-del-hiet (German), AH-dəl-hiet (Dutch) | German, Dutch |