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phrases

• behind someone’s back

  if you do something bad or unkind behind someone’s back, you do it without them knowing

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Not known or difficult to know: secret, private, personal, strange, unknown, uncertain, hidden, mysterious, anonymous, obscure... more

• get off my back

  spoken
  used for telling someone to stop criticizing you or telling you what to do

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Ways of making or receiving criticism or blame: against, charming, someone can dish it out but they can’t take it, where does someone get off doing something?, look at, mea culpa, OK, pick on someone your own size, really, would... more

• get/put someone’s back up

  British informal
  to annoy someone

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  To make someone angry or annoyed: annoy, provoke, anger, bother, frustrate, irritate, madden, antagonize, infuriate, drive someone mad... more

• glad/happy/pleased to see the back of

  mainly British informal
  happy when you do not have to deal with someone or something anymore because they are annoying or unpleasant

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Feeling happy: happy, glad, alive, pleased, content, satisfied, contented, cheerful, carefree, exuberant... more

• have your back to the wall

  to be in a difficult situation with few choices, so that you have to work or fight very hard

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  To be in, or to get into a difficult situation: suffer, undergo, come under, endure, incur, go through, be in dire/desperate straits, be (caught/stuck) between a rock and a hard place, be in the grip of something, not know where/which way to turn... more

• in back of

  American
  behind someone or something

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Behind or in front of something or someone: behind, in front, rear, opposite, past, up front, in the background, face, rearmost, at someone’s heels... more

• in the back of your mind

  if something is in the back of your mind, you are thinking about it or it is affecting how you behave, perhaps without your realizing it

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Words used to describe thoughts, beliefs and ideas: deterministic, abstract, central, theoretical, popular, orthodox, conceptual, metaphysical, utopian, nonconformist... more

• know something like the back of your hand

  to be very familiar with something, especially a place or way of going somewhere

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  To know something or someone: know, realize, have heard of, have on, know of, recognize, possess, be alive to something, sense, know full/perfectly well... more

• on someone’s back

  informal
  always criticizing someone, or always telling them to do things

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Words used to describe bossy and interfering people: bossy, dictatorial, interfering, overbearing, domineering, autocratic, prescriptive, meddlesome, intrusive, on someone’s back... more

• on the back of something

  because of something, or helped by something

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Because and because of: because, due to, whereas, owing to, given, in view of something, on account of, for, in light of something, by virtue of something... more

• put your back into something

  British informal
  to do something, especially physical work, with a lot of effort

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  To work hard: work at, forge, overwork, slave, toil, apply yourself, put your back into something, buckle down, labor, exert yourself... more

• when someone’s back is turned

  when someone is not there, or is not paying attention

  *American English synonyms or related words for this sense of back*

  Not known or difficult to know: secret, private, personal, strange, unknown, uncertain, hidden, mysterious, anonymous, obscure... more