IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

beside the point

Meaning: Irrelevant.

Example: “Whether the movie was long is beside the point; was it good?”

Equivalents in other languages

Origin: "The point" is the main matter being discussed, and something beside it is off to one side, not on target. The phrase is recorded from the 17th century, when "beside" also meant "outside of".

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