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The back, it would appear, holds up not only the human body, but also the English language. Behind someone’s back: without someone’s approval or knowledge. The students planned an outing behind the teacher’s back. Get/put someone’s back up: do or say something that annoys someone. She gets my back up whenever she starts cribbing about her job. Get someone off your back: to stop someone from annoying you. My cousins have been pestering me to take them out. I will have to take them to the zoo to get them off my back. Pat someone on the back: praise someone for the good they have done. My students deserve a pat on the back for winning the inter-school quiz competition. Stab someone in the back: be disloyal to a friend when he does not expect it. If I were you, I would not trust him. He is the sort of person who would stab even his friends in their back. Turn one’s back on someone: refuse help when needed. My mother has always taught me not to turn my back on those who need help. Take a back seat: 1) spend less time doing a particular activity than other things. 2) let other people take a more active and responsible part in an organisation or situation. Ever since I have started working, socialising has taken a back seat. When the time came for him to retire, he was happy to take a back seat in the company he had founded and let his children take over. Know something like the back of your hand: know a place very well. After having lived in Shimla for 10 years, I know the place like the back of my hand. (Reference: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms) — PT |
