behind one's back

behind one's back
{adv. phr.} When one is absent; without one's knowledge or consent; in a dishonest way; secretly; sneakily. * /Say it to his face, not behind his back./ * /It is not right to criticize a person behind his back./ Contrast: TO ONE'S FACE.

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • Behind one's back — Back Back (b[a^]k), n. [AS. b[ae]c, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., & LG. bak, Dan. bag; cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn, OSlav. b[=e]g[u^] flight. Cf. {Bacon}.] 1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • behind one’s back — [adv] deceitfully covertly, secretly, sneakily, sub rosa, surreptitiously; concepts 267,548 …   New thesaurus

  • behind one's back — idi behind one s back, without one s knowledge, esp. treacherously or secretly …   From formal English to slang

  • behind one's back — {adv. phr.} When one is absent; without one s knowledge or consent; in a dishonest way; secretly; sneakily. * /Say it to his face, not behind his back./ * /It is not right to criticize a person behind his back./ Contrast: TO ONE S FACE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • behind\ one's\ back — adv. phr. When one is absent; without one s knowledge or consent; in a dishonest way; secretly; sneakily. Say it to his face, not behind his back. It is not right to criticize a person behind his back. Contrast: to one s face …   Словарь американских идиом

  • behind one's back — phrasal : when one is not present : without one s knowledge : in secret make vicious remarks about you behind your back …   Useful english dictionary

  • behind one's back — without someone s knowledge He is very angry because they borrowed the car behind his back …   Idioms and examples

  • behind one's back — phrasal without one s knowledge ; in secret …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • with one hand behind one's back — with one hand (tied) behind one s back with serious limitations or restrictions at the moment, the police are tackling record crime rates with one hand tied behind their back ■ used to indicate that one could do something without any difficulty I …   Useful english dictionary

  • behind one's back — do or say something (usually harmful) without another s knowledge …   English contemporary dictionary

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