back : Idioms & Phrases

Index


Back and forth

  • adverb moving from one place to another and back again
    to and fro; backward and forward.
    • he traveled back and forth between Los Angeles and New York
    • the treetops whipped to and fro in a frightening manner
    • the old man just sat on the porch and rocked back and forth all day
WordNet
  • backwards and forwards; to and fro.
Webster 1913

back away

  • verb make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
    back away; back out; crawfish; pull in one's horns; crawfish out; withdraw; retreat.
    • We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him
    • He backed out of his earlier promise
    • The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns
WordNet

back brace

  • noun a brace worn to support the back
WordNet

back breaker

  • noun street name for lysergic acid diethylamide
    Elvis; Zen; dose; battery-acid; window pane; pane; Lucy in the sky with diamonds; acid; loony toons; dot; superman.
WordNet

back burner

  • noun reduced priority
    • dozens of cases were put on the back burner
WordNet

back channel

  • noun an alternative to the regular channels of communication that is used when agreements must be made secretly (especially in diplomacy or government)
    • they negotiated via a back channel
WordNet

Back charges

  • charges brought forward after an account has been made up.
Webster 1913

back circle

  • noun a feat in which an acrobat arches the back from a prone position and bends the knees until the toes touch the head
WordNet

back country

  • noun a remote and undeveloped area
    backwoods; boondocks; hinterland.
WordNet

back door

  • noun a secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position)
    backdoor.
    • he got his job through the back door
  • noun an undocumented way to get access to a computer system or the data it contains
    backdoor.
  • noun an entrance at the rear of a building
    backdoor; back door.
WordNet
Back" door"
Definitions
  1. A door in the back part of a building; hence, an indirect way. Atterbury.
Webster 1913

back down

  • verb move backwards from a certain position
    back down; back off.
    • The bully had to back down
  • verb remove oneself from an obligation
    back down; pull out; bow out; chicken out.
    • He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved
WordNet

back end

  • noun the side of an object that is opposite its front
    backside; rear.
    • his room was toward the rear of the hotel
WordNet

back entrance

  • noun an entrance at the rear of a building
    backdoor; back door.
WordNet

back exercise

  • noun exercise designed to strengthen the back muscles
WordNet

Back filling

  • (Arch.), the mass of materials used in filling up the space between two walls, or between the inner and outer faces of a wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or vault.
Webster 1913

back judge

  • noun a football official
WordNet

back matter

  • noun written matter following the main text of a book
    end matter.
WordNet

back of beyond

  • noun a very remote and inaccessible place
    • you'd have to go to the back of beyond to find one of those
WordNet

back off

  • verb move backwards from a certain position
    back down; back off.
    • The bully had to back down
  • verb remove oneself from an obligation
    back down; pull out; bow out; chicken out.
    • He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved
WordNet

back out

  • verb move out of a space backwards
    • He backed out of the driveway
  • verb make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
    back away; back out; crawfish; pull in one's horns; crawfish out; withdraw; retreat.
    • We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him
    • He backed out of his earlier promise
    • The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns
WordNet

back pack

  • noun a bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder
    packsack; haversack; backpack; rucksack; knapsack.
WordNet

back porch

  • noun a porch for the back door
WordNet

Back pressure

  • . (Steam Engine) See under Pressure.
Webster 1913

Back rest

  • a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in turning.
Webster 1913

back room

  • noun a room located in the rear of an establishment; usually accessible only to privileged groups
WordNet

back saw

  • noun a handsaw that is stiffened by metal reinforcement along the upper edge
    backsaw.
WordNet

Back slang

  • a kind of slang in which every word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man.
Webster 1913

Back stairs

  • stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary.
Webster 1913

Back step

  • (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or body of men, without changing front.
Webster 1913

Back stream

  • a current running against the main current of a stream; an eddy.
Webster 1913

back street

  • noun a narrow street with walls on both sides
    alleyway; alley.
WordNet

back talk

  • noun an impudent or insolent rejoinder
    sass; sassing; lip; mouth; backtalk.
    • don't give me any of your sass
WordNet

back tooth

  • noun a tooth situated at the back of the mouth
    posterior.
WordNet

back up

  • verb give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to
    support.
    • She supported him during the illness
    • Her children always backed her up
  • verb move backwards from a certain position
    back down; back off.
    • The bully had to back down
  • verb establish as valid or genuine
    back.
    • Can you back up your claims?
  • verb make a copy of (a computer file) especially for storage in another place as a security copy
    • You'd better back up these files!
  • verb become or cause to become obstructed
    clog; congest; choke; foul; clog up; choke off.
    • The leaves clog our drains in the Fall
    • The water pipe is backed up
WordNet

back-blast

  • noun backfire from a recoilless weapon
    backblast.
WordNet

back-channel

  • adjective via a back channel
    • the failure of back-channel negotiations
WordNet

back-formation

  • noun a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it
WordNet

back-geared

  • adjective satellite (of a lathe) equipped with gearing for reducing the speed of the spindle from that of the driving pulley
    double-geared.
    • a back-geared lathe
WordNet

back-number

  • noun someone who is no longer popular
    has-been.
WordNet

back-to-back

  • adjective satellite one after the other
    consecutive.
    • back-to-back home runs
WordNet

beat back

  • verb cause to move back by force or influence
    repulse; beat back; repel; drive; force back.
    • repel the enemy
    • push back the urge to smoke
    • beat back the invaders
WordNet

Behind one's back

  • when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back .
Webster 1913

black-backed gull

  • noun white gull having a black back and wings
    Larus marinus; black-backed gull; cob.
WordNet

bounce back

  • verb improve in health
    get over; get well.
    • He got well fast
WordNet

break one's back

  • verb work very hard, like a slave
    buckle down; knuckle down; slave.
WordNet

bring back

  • verb bring back to the point of departure
    bring back; return.
  • verb return to consciousness
    bring to; bring around; bring round.
    • These pictures bring back sad memories
WordNet

broken-backed

  • adjective satellite having the spine damaged
    • a broken-backed book
    • a broken-backed old horse
  • adjective satellite (of a horse) having bones of the back united by a bony growth
  • adjective satellite (of a ship) so weakened as to sag at each end
    hogged.
WordNet
Bro"ken-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a broken back; as, a broken-backed chair.
  2. (Naut.) Hogged; so weakened in the frame as to droop at each end; -- said of a ship. Totten.
Webster 1913

bunch-backed

Bunch"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a bunch on the back; crooked. "Bunch-backed toad." Shak.
Webster 1913

buy back

  • verb buy what had previously been sold, lost, or given away
    repurchase.
    • He bought back the house that his father sold years ago
WordNet

call back

  • verb cause to be returned
    recall; call in; withdraw.
    • recall the defective auto tires
    • The manufacturer tried to call back the spoilt yoghurt
  • verb recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
    retrieve; remember; recall; recollect; think; call up.
    • I can't remember saying any such thing
    • I can't think what her last name was
    • can you remember her phone number?
    • Do you remember that he once loved you?
    • call up memories
  • verb return or repeat a telephone call
    • I am busy right now--can you call back in an hour?
    • She left a message but the contractor never called back
  • verb summon to return
    recall.
    • The ambassador was recalled to his country
    • The company called back many of the workers it had laid off during the recession
WordNet

call-back

  • noun a return call
  • noun the recall of an employee after a layoff
WordNet

carry back

  • verb deduct a loss or an unused credit from taxable income for a prior period
WordNet

ceding back

  • noun the act of ceding back
    recession.
WordNet

choke back

  • verb suppress
    choke down; choke off.
    • He choked down his rage
WordNet

come back

  • verb be restored
    return.
    • Her old vigor returned
  • verb go back to something earlier
    recall; come back; return.
    • This harks back to a previous remark of his
  • verb even the score, in sports
  • verb answer back
    return; rejoin; retort; repay; riposte.
WordNet

coming back

  • noun the occurrence of a change in direction back in the opposite direction
    return.
WordNet

cut back

  • verb return in time
    cut back.
    • the film cut back to an earlier event in the story
  • verb cut down on; make a reduction in
    trim; cut; cut back; bring down; reduce; cut down; trim down.
    • reduce your daily fat intake
    • The employer wants to cut back health benefits
  • verb cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
    trim; prune; clip; crop; snip; lop; dress.
    • dress the plants in the garden
  • verb place restrictions on
    restrict; curtail; curb.
    • curtail drinking in school
WordNet

date back

  • verb belong to an earlier time
    date back; date from.
    • This story dates back 200 years
WordNet

diamond-back

Di"a*mond-back` noun
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The salt-marsh terrapin of the Atlantic coast (Malacoclemmys palustris).
Webster 1913

die back

  • verb suffer from a disease that kills shoots
    die down.
    • The plants near the garage are dying back
WordNet

double back

  • verb retrace one's course
    double back; backtrack.
    • The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back
WordNet

draw back

  • verb pull back or move away or backward
    retire; recede; move back; withdraw; pull away; draw back; retreat.
    • The enemy withdrew
    • The limo pulled away from the curb
  • verb use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
    retract; draw back.
WordNet

drive back

  • verb force or drive back
    repulse; repel; rebuff; fight off.
    • repel the attacker
    • fight off the onslaught
    • rebuff the attack
WordNet

drop back

  • verb take position in the rear, as in a military formation or in the line of scrimmage in football
    • The defender dropped back behind his teammate
  • verb to lag or linger behind
    drop behind; trail; drag; get behind; drop back.
    • But in so many other areas we still are dragging
WordNet

eastern red-backed salamander

  • noun common salamander of eastern North America
    Plethodon cinereus.
WordNet

fall back

  • verb fall backwards and down
  • verb hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.
    dawdle; fall behind; lag.
  • verb move back and away from
    • The enemy fell back
  • verb retreat
    drop off; fall behind; recede; lose.
  • verb have recourse to
    resort; recur.
    • The government resorted to rationing meat
  • verb go back to bad behavior
    retrogress; recidivate; relapse; lapse; regress.
    • Those who recidivate are often minor criminals
WordNet

feed back

  • verb submit (information) again to a program or automatic system
    resubmit.
  • verb respond to a query or outcome
WordNet

fight back

  • verb defend oneself
  • verb fight against or resist strongly
    defend; fight down; oppose; fight.
    • The senator said he would oppose the bill
    • Don't fight it!
WordNet

financial backing

  • noun financial resources provided to make some project possible
    backing; funding; support; financial support.
    • the foundation provided support for the experiment
WordNet

flanker back

  • noun a back stationed wide of the scrimmage line; used as a pass receiver
    flanker.
WordNet

flash back

  • verb return in time
    cut back.
    • the film cut back to an earlier event in the story
WordNet

force back

  • verb cause to move back by force or influence
    repulse; beat back; repel; drive; force back.
    • repel the enemy
    • push back the urge to smoke
    • beat back the invaders
WordNet

from way back

  • adverb since long ago
    since a long time ago.
    • she knows him from way back
WordNet

Full back, Half back, Quarter back

  • (Football), players stationed behind those in the front line .
Webster 1913

get back

  • verb recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
    get back.
    • We got back the money after we threatened to sue the company
    • He got back his son from the kidnappers
  • verb take revenge or even out a score
    get even.
    • I cannot accept the defeat--I want to get even
  • verb get one's revenge for a wrong or an injury
    settle.
    • I finally settled with my old enemy
WordNet

give back

  • verb pay back
    refund; repay; return.
    • Please refund me my money
WordNet

go back

  • verb belong to an earlier time
    date back; date from.
    • This story dates back 200 years
  • verb return in thought or speech to something
    recur.
  • verb regain a former condition after a financial loss
    recover; recuperate.
    • We expect the stocks to recover to $2.90
    • The company managed to recuperate
WordNet

go back on

  • verb fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
    renege on; renege; renegue on.
    • She backed out of her promise
WordNet

great black-backed gull

  • noun white gull having a black back and wings
    Larus marinus; black-backed gull; cob.
WordNet

Half back

  • . (Football) See under 2d Back.
Webster 1913

hang back

  • verb to lag or linger behind
    drop behind; trail; drag; get behind; drop back.
    • But in so many other areas we still are dragging
WordNet

hark back

  • verb go back to something earlier
    recall; come back; return.
    • This harks back to a previous remark of his
WordNet

high-backed

  • adjective satellite having a high back
    • a high-backed sofa
WordNet

hog's-back

Hog's"-back` noun
Definitions
  1. (Geol.) A hogback.
Webster 1913

hold back

  • verb hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
    stop; hold back; arrest; contain; check.
    • Arrest the downward trend
    • Check the growth of communism in South East Asia
    • Contain the rebel movement
    • Turn back the tide of communism
  • verb keep under control; keep in check
    restrain; hold back; keep.
    • suppress a smile
    • Keep your temper
    • keep your cool
  • verb refrain from doing
    forbear.
    • she forbore a snicker
  • verb wait before acting
    hold off; wait.
    • the scientists held off announcing their results until they repeated the experiment
  • verb secure and keep for possible future use or application
    retain; hold; hold back.
    • The landlord retained the security deposit
    • I reserve the right to disagree
  • verb hold back; keep from being perceived by others
    conceal; hold in.
    • She conceals her anger well
WordNet

hollow-back

  • noun an abnormal inward (forward) curvature of the vertebral column
    lordosis.
WordNet

Hop back

  • . (Brewing) See under 1st Back.
Webster 1913

Hop back, Jack back

  • the cistern which receives the infusion of malt and hops from the copper.
Webster 1913

huckle-backed

Huc"kle-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Round-shoulded.
Webster 1913

Jack back

  • (Brewing & Malt Vinegar Manuf.), a cistern which receives the wort. See under 1st Back.
Webster 1913

keep back

  • verb keep under control; keep in check
    restrain; hold back; keep.
    • suppress a smile
    • Keep your temper
    • keep your cool
  • verb secure and keep for possible future use or application
    retain; hold; hold back.
    • The landlord retained the security deposit
    • I reserve the right to disagree
  • verb hold back; refuse to hand over or share
    withhold.
    • The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room
WordNet

kick back

  • verb pay a kickback; make an illegal payment
  • verb spring back, as from a forceful thrust
    recoil; kick.
    • The gun kicked back into my shoulder
WordNet

knock back

  • verb cost a certain amount
    knock back; put back.
    • My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000
WordNet

ladder-back

  • noun a chair with a ladder-back
    ladder-back.
  • noun the backrest of a chair that consists of two uprights with connecting slats
WordNet

ladder-back chair

  • noun a chair with a ladder-back
    ladder-back.
WordNet

laid-back

  • adjective satellite unhurried and relaxed
    mellow.
    • a mellow conversation
WordNet

lean back

  • verb move the upper body backwards and down
    recline.
WordNet

lobster-backed

  • adjective satellite used of British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War because of their red coats
    red-coated.
WordNet

look back

  • verb look towards one's back
    look backward.
    • don't look back while you walk
  • verb look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events); remember
    review; retrospect.
    • she reviewed her achievements with pride
WordNet

low-backed

  • adjective satellite having a low back
WordNet

lute-backed

Lute"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a curved spine.
Webster 1913

Mackerel sky, ∨ Mackerel-back sky

  • a sky flecked with small white clouds; a cirro-cumulus. See Cloud.
Webster 1913

mortgage-backed security

  • noun a security created when a group of mortgages are gathered together and bonds are sold to other institutions or the public; investors receive a portion of the interest payments on the mortgages as well as the principal payments; usually guaranteed by the government
WordNet

move back

  • verb pull back or move away or backward
    retire; recede; move back; withdraw; pull away; draw back; retreat.
    • The enemy withdrew
    • The limo pulled away from the curb
WordNet

move back and forth

  • verb move in one direction and then into the opposite direction
WordNet

Paneled back

  • (Arch.), the paneled work covering the window back. See Window back.
Webster 1913

paper-back book

  • noun a book with paper covers
    paperback; paperback book; soft-cover book; softback book; soft-cover; softback.
WordNet

pay back

  • verb act or give recompense in recognition of someone's behavior or actions
    repay; reward.
  • verb take vengeance on or get even
    fix; get; pay off.
    • We'll get them!
    • That'll fix him good!
    • This time I got him
WordNet

paying back

  • noun a reciprocal group action
    return; getting even.
    • in return we gave them as good as we got
WordNet

pig-a-back

  • adverb on a railroad flatcar
    piggyback; pickaback.
    • the trailer rode piggyback across the country
  • adverb on the back or shoulder or astraddle on the hip
    piggyback; pickaback.
    • she carried her child piggyback
WordNet

play back

  • verb reproduce (a recording) on a recorder
    replay.
    • The lawyers played back the conversation to show that their client was innocent
WordNet

pull back

  • verb pull back or move away or backward
    retire; recede; move back; withdraw; pull away; draw back; retreat.
    • The enemy withdrew
    • The limo pulled away from the curb
  • verb use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)
    retract; draw back.
  • verb move to a rearward position; pull towards the back
    • Pull back your arms!
  • verb stretch back a bowstring (on an archer's bow)
    draw.
    • The archers were drawing their bows
  • verb make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity
    back away; back out; crawfish; pull in one's horns; crawfish out; withdraw; retreat.
    • We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him
    • He backed out of his earlier promise
    • The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns
WordNet

push back

  • noun the act of forcing the enemy to withdraw
    rollback.
  • verb cause to move back by force or influence
    repulse; beat back; repel; drive; force back.
    • repel the enemy
    • push back the urge to smoke
    • beat back the invaders
WordNet

put back

  • verb put something back where it belongs
    replace.
    • replace the book on the shelf after you have finished reading it
    • please put the clean dishes back in the cabinet when you have washed them
  • verb cost a certain amount
    knock back; put back.
    • My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000
WordNet

Quarter back

  • (Football), the player who has position next behind center rush, and receives the ball on the snap back.
Webster 1913

razor-backed

  • adjective satellite having a sharp narrow back
    razorback.
    • a razor-backed horse
    • razorback hogs
WordNet
Ra"zor-backed" adjective
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Having a sharp, lean, or thin back; as, a razor-backed hog, perch, etc.
Webster 1913

rear back

  • verb rear backwards on its hind legs
    • the frightened horse reared back
  • verb start with anger or resentment or in protest
WordNet

red-backed lemming

  • noun Old World lemming
    grey lemming; gray lemming.
WordNet

red-backed mouse

  • noun any of several voles of mountainous regions of Eurasia and America
    redback vole.
WordNet

red-backed sandpiper

  • noun small common sandpiper that breeds in northern or Arctic regions and winters in southern United States or Mediterranean regions
    dunlin; Erolia alpina.
WordNet

relation back

  • noun (law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time
    relation.
    • his attorney argued for the relation back of the amended complaint to the time the initial complaint was filed
WordNet

roach-backed

Roach"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a back like that of roach; -- said of a horse whose back a convex instead of a concave curve.
Webster 1913

round-backed

  • adjective satellite having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
    crooked; stooping; hunched; stooped; round-shouldered.
    • a little oldish misshapen stooping woman
WordNet
Round"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a round back or shoulders; round-shouldered.
Webster 1913

running back

  • noun (football) a back on the offensive team (a fullback or halfback) who tries to advance the ball by carrying it on plays from the line of scrimmage
WordNet

saddle-backed

Sad"dle-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having the outline of the upper part concave like the seat of a saddle.
  2. Having a low back and high neck, as a horse.
Webster 1913

send back

  • verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision
    remand; remit.
WordNet

set back

  • verb hold back to a later time
    prorogue; defer; remit; put off; put over; shelve; table; postpone; hold over.
    • let's postpone the exam
  • verb slow down the progress of; hinder
    • His late start set him back
  • verb cost a certain amount
    knock back; put back.
    • My daughter's wedding set me back $20,000
WordNet

set-back

  • noun structure where a wall or building narrows abruptly
    setoff; offset.
WordNet

shrink back

  • verb pull away from a source of disgust or fear
    retract.
WordNet

sit back

  • verb settle into a comfortable sitting position
    take it easy.
  • verb be inactive or indifferent while something is happening
    sit by.
    • Don't just sit by while your rights are violated!
WordNet

Skew back

  • . (Civil Engin.) (a) The course of masonry, the stone, or the iron plate, having an inclined face, which forms the abutment for the voussoirs of a segmental arch . (b) A plate, cap, or shoe, having an inclined face to receive the nut of a diagonal brace, rod, or the end of an inclined strut, in a truss or frame.
Webster 1913

Snap back

  • verb recover quickly
    • After the surgery, the patient snapped back in a few days
WordNet
  • (Football), the act of snapping back the ball.
Webster 1913

spiny-backed

  • adjective satellite having the back covered with spines
WordNet

Spring back

  • (Bookbinding), a back with a curved piece of thin sheet iron or of stiff pasteboard fastened to the inside, the effect of which is to make the leaves of a book thus bound (as a ledger or other account or blank book) spring up and lie flat.
Webster 1913

stand back

  • verb stay clear of, avoid
    keep one's eyes off; stay away; keep one's hands off; keep one's distance.
    • Keep your hands off my wife!
    • Keep your distance from this man--he is dangerous
  • verb stand away from an object or person
    • He stood back to look at her
WordNet

stickle-back

Stic"kle-back` noun
Etymology
OE. & Prov E. stickle a prickle, spine, sting (AS. sticel) + back. See Stick, v. t., and cf. Banstickle.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small fishes of the genus Gasterosteus and allied genera. The back is armed with two or more sharp spines. They inhabit both salt and brackish water, and construct curious nests. Called also sticklebag, sharpling, and prickleback.
Webster 1913

stiff-backed

  • adjective satellite having a stiff back
    • the guards stood stiff-backed and unsmiling
WordNet
Stiff"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Obstinate. J. H. Newman.
Webster 1913

straight-backed

  • adjective satellite having a straight back
    • a straight-backed wooden chair
    • a slim straight-backed dancer
  • adverb in a straight-backed manner
    erectly.
    • the old man still walks erectly
WordNet

strike back

  • verb make a counterattack and return like for like, especially evil for evil
    retaliate.
    • The Empire strikes back
    • The Giants struck back and won the opener
    • The Israeli army retaliated for the Hamas bombing
WordNet

sway-backed

Sway"-backed` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having the back hollow or sagged, whether naturally or as the result of injury or weakness; -- said of horses and other animals.
Webster 1913

Switch back

  • (Railways), an arrangement of tracks whereby elevations otherwise insurmountable are passed. The track ascends by a series of zigzags, the engine running alternately forward and back, until the summit is reached.
Webster 1913

take back

  • verb bring back to the point of departure
    bring back; return.
  • verb regain possession of something
    repossess.
  • verb resume a relationship with someone after an interruption, as in a wife taking back her husband
  • verb move text to the previous line; in printing
  • verb take back what one has said
    swallow; withdraw; unsay.
    • He swallowed his words
  • verb cause someone to remember the past
    • This photo takes me back to the good old days
WordNet

think back

  • verb recapture the past; indulge in memories
    remember.
    • he remembered how he used to pick flowers
WordNet

throw back

  • verb throw back with a quick, light motion
    throw back.
    • She tossed back her head
WordNet

To lay, ∨ back, against the field

  • to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers.
Webster 1913

To back a rope

  • to put on a preventer.
Webster 1913

To back a warrant

  • (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender.
Webster 1913

To back an anchor

  • (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one.
  • to increase the holding power by laying down a small anchor ahead of that by which the ship rides, with the cable fastened to the crown of the latter to prevent its coming home.
Webster 1913

To back and fill

  • to manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind. Hence: (Fig.) To take opposite positions alternately; to assert and deny. Colloq.
Webster 1913

To back out, To back down

  • to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or contest; to recede. Colloq.
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To back the field

  • in horse racing, to bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated "the field", will win.
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To back the field, ∨ To bet on the field

  • . See under Back, v. t.
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To back the oars

  • to row backward with the oars.
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To back the sails

  • to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern.
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To back up

  • to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's friends.
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To back water

  • (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.
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To be or lie on one's back

  • to be helpless .
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To bear back

  • to retreat. "Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist." Sir W. Scott.
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To break the back

  • . (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking.
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To bring back

  • . (a) To recall. (b) To restore, as something borrowed, to its owner.
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To call back

  • to revoke or retract; to recall; to summon back.
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To claw (one) on the back

  • to tickle; to express approbation. (Obs.) Chaucer.
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To draw back

  • to receive back, as duties on goods for exportation.
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To fall back

  • . (a) To recede or retreat; to give way. (b) To fail of performing a promise or purpose; not to fulfill.
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To fall back upon

  • . (a) (Mil.) To retreat for safety to (a stronger position in the rear, as to a fort or a supporting body of troops). (b) To have recourse to (a reserved fund, or some available expedient or support).
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To get back

  • to arrive at the place from which one departed; to return.
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To give back

  • to return; to restore. Atterbury.
  • to recede; to retire; to retreat.
    They gave back and came no farther. Bunyan.
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To go back on

  • to turn back from; to abandon; to betray; as, to go back on a friend; to go back on one's professions. Colloq.
  • . (a) To retrace (one's path or footsteps). (b) To abandon; to turn against; to betray. Slang, U. S.
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To hang back

  • to hesitate; to falter; to be reluctant. "If any one among you hangs back." Jowett (Thucyd.).
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To hark back

  • to go back for a fresh start, as when one has wandered from his direct course, or made a digression.
    He must have overshot the mark, and must hark back. Haggard. He harked back to the subject. W. E. Norris.
Webster 1913

To keep back

  • . (a) To reserve; to withhold . "I will keep nothing back from you." Jer. xlii. 4. (b) To restrain; to hold back. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." Ps. xix. 13.
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To put, or get, one's back up

  • to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a cat when attacked.) . Colloq.
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To put back

  • (Naut.), to turn back; to return. "The French . . . had put back to Toulon." Southey.
  • . (a) To push or thrust backwards; hence, to hinder; to delay. (b) To refuse; to deny .
    Coming from thee, I could not put him back. Shak.
    (c) To set, as the hands of a clock, to an earlier hour. (d) To restore to the original place; to replace .
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To see the back of

  • to get rid of .
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To snap back

  • (Football), to roll the ball back with the foot; done only by the center rush, who thus delivers the ball to the quarter back on his own side when both sides are ranged in line. now passed back with the hands, but still called "snap"
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To take the back track

  • to retrace one's steps; to retreat. Colloq.
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To throw back

  • . (a) To retort; to cast back, as a reply. (b) To reject; to refuse. (c) To reflect, as light.
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To turn back

  • . (a) To give back; to return.
    We turn not back the silks upon the merchants, When we have soiled them. Shak.
    (b) To cause to return or retrace one's steps; hence, to drive away; to repel. Shak.
  • to turn so as to go in an opposite direction; to retrace one's steps.
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To turn the back

  • to go away; to flee .
  • to flee; to retreat.
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To turn the back on

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To turn the back on one

  • to forsake or neglect him.
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toss back

  • verb throw back with a quick, light motion
    throw back.
    • She tossed back her head
WordNet

trim back

  • verb cut down on; make a reduction in
    trim; cut; cut back; bring down; reduce; cut down; trim down.
    • reduce your daily fat intake
    • The employer wants to cut back health benefits
WordNet

turn back

  • verb retrace one's course
    double back; backtrack.
    • The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back
  • verb go back to a previous state
    retrovert; return; revert; regress.
    • We reverted to the old rules
  • verb force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
    drive out; dispel; drive away; chase away; drive off; run off.
    • Drive away potential burglars
    • drive away bad thoughts
    • dispel doubts
    • The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers
  • verb hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
    stop; hold back; arrest; contain; check.
    • Arrest the downward trend
    • Check the growth of communism in South East Asia
    • Contain the rebel movement
    • Turn back the tide of communism
  • verb turn inside out or upside down
    invert; reverse.
WordNet

Wash back

  • a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to form wash.
Webster 1913

Water back

  • noun water heater consisting of a tank or pipes set at the back of a fireplace or in the firebox of a stove
WordNet
  • a cistern to hold a supply of water; esp. a small cistern at the back of a stove, or a group of pipes set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through which water circulates and is heated.
Webster 1913

western red-backed salamander

  • noun salamander of the Pacific coast of North America
    Plethodon vehiculum.
WordNet

win back

  • verb recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
    get back.
    • We got back the money after we threatened to sue the company
    • He got back his son from the kidnappers
WordNet

Window back

  • (Arch.), the inside face of the low, and usually thin, piece of wall between the window sill and the floor below.
Webster 1913