Can't a girl get a word in edgewise?
(女は黙ってろってわけ?)
映画「雨に唄えば[Singin' in the Rain]」より。サイレント映画のスター女優・リナは、堪え難いほどの悪声の持ち主。イメージを崩さぬよう、客の前での挨拶はいつも相手役のドンがこなすのだが、彼女はそれがお気に召さないようで…。
- "(not) get a word in edgewise/edgeways" は、not を伴い「(誰かが喋りすぎるせいで)口を挟む間もない、喋らせてもらえない」という意味になる(If you can't get a word in edgewise it means that someone else is talking so much that you are not able to say anything)。ステージ上の挨拶で、自分が話そうとする度にドンが遮り話させてもらえないストレスがたまりにたまったリナの気持ちが込められている。
- edgewise を使うのはアメリカ的。edgeways のほうがイギリスを中心に広く使われるみたい。
- "get a word in edgewise"=to get a chance to say something/to find an opportunity to say something/to succeed in entering a conversation or expressing one's opinion in spite of competition or opposition)
- I wanted to explain what had happened but I couldn't get a word in edgewise.
- Harold talked so much that nobody else could get a word in edgewise.
- Once George starts talking it's difficult to get a word in edgeways.
- When Mary starts talking, no one else can get a word in edgeways.
- There were so many people talking at once that I couldn't get a word in edgewise.