by left

adjective

Done without abiding by proper rules and procedures, as it may be more convenient to ignore them entirely, bend the rules or use a workaround.

“By right, we’re supposed to lock the room every night. By left, we only do it every Friday since no-one bothers to check.”

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Meanings

adjectiveby left (comparative more by left, superlative most by left)

comparative more by left · superlative most by left

  1. SingaporeSinglishidiomaticslangDone without abiding by proper rules and procedures, as it may be more convenient to ignore them entirely, bend the rules or use a workaround.
prepositional phrase
  1. SingaporeSinglishhumorousidiomaticoftenslangUsed to refute a previous statement of by right by demonstrating that something is, in practice, done in an unofficial manner, without much regard for proper procedures and protocols.

    By right, we’re supposed to lock the room every night. By left, we only do it every Friday since no-one bothers to check.

Origin

By analogy with by right.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

by left. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20left

MLA

“by left.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20left. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by left,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20left.

Source: by left on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.