sideswipe
sideswipe Lexical Profile
sideswipe Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To strike with a glancing blow along the side in passing (especially of a vehicle).
"A distracted driver drifted out of the turn lane and sideswiped the commuter bus."
To criticize or attack someone or something incidentally while addressing another subject.
"The reviewer praised the novel's pacing but sideswiped the publisher for poor copyediting."
• noun
A glancing blow or collision along the side of something, especially a vehicle.
"The narrow lane left the parked car vulnerable to a sideswipe from passing delivery trucks."
An incidental or indirect critical remark made while discussing another topic.
"During his speech on budget reform, the senator took a pointed sideswipe at his opponent's tax record."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in American English in the late 19th century as a compound of "side" and "swipe," originally referring to a glancing collision between railway cars before extending to automobiles and figurative verbal attacks.