Is it "By the by" or "By the bye"?

I was just reading “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and in Chapter 5 Stevenson has a character say, “By the bye…” The context is a character bringing up a question, seemingly off-hand, as he is saying goodbye to the butler of a gentleman he was visiting.

I’d always assumed (without much thought) that the expression was “by the by.” But in this context it was sort of used as “Say, Jeeves, as I’m heading for the door, one last question…” Which makes “bye” seem like a natural final word for the expression.

Any thoughts? Better yet, any definite answers and citations? Thanks!

(By the bye, I know I could just use “by the way” - or God help us, *BTW *- and avoid this whole issue. But I’d rather fight my own ignorance.)

Wow… Dunno. I always thought it was “by the by,” but RLS using the other version is a pretty good argument for it.

Google turns up lots of references for both! No joy there!

It’s both. They’re used pretty much interchangeably as early as I can see.

1615 W. Hull Mirrour of Majestie 98 Not intentionally, but accidentally (as we say) vpon the bye.
1627 G. Hakewill Apologie Pref. sig. C5v, It led them to some other way, thwarting, and vpon the by, not directly.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State v. v. 377 They had something…in the favour of Friers, though brought in as by the by.
a1653 Z. Boyd Zion’s Flowers (1855) 85 Who ever he be that in adultery, Begets a child, he stealeth by a by.
a1661 B. Holyday tr. Juvenal Satyres (1673) 149 If he be ask’d, though but by chance, and on the by.
1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 35 All he does upon the By, She is not bound to justifie.
1720 J. Clarke Ess. Educ. Youth 67 Let it be done sparingly, and by the Bye.

Source: OED

So the new internet meme is BTB now, whichever way you think it’s spelled. :slight_smile:

Hmmm… always thought it was “by the bay”; Where the water melons grow.

I’m really surprised to see, by Inner Stickler’s cites, that the expression has such history behind it.
I always thought of it as a cutesy alternative to “by the way”- wrong but on purpose as an affectation. It has thus always grated on me. It’s the kind of expression I associate with people who say “anyhoooo”.

Just to add to the confusion, I’ve only heard and used “by and by” (spoken only, so I have no clue as to the spelling.) Means roughly “after some span of time has/had elapsed.”

As a meaningless space filler “by the way” is common around here.