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v. t. In the game of backgammon, to beat by ending the game before the loser is clear of his first “table”. When played for betting purposes, the winner in such a case scores three times the wagered amount. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ Back, a. + ground. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. [ 1913 Webster ]

I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs. Alexander. [ 1913 Webster ]

A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The set of conditions within which an action takes place, including the social and physical conditions as well as the psychological states of the participants; as, within the background of the massive budget deficits of the 1980's, new spending programs had little chance of passage by the congress. [ PJC ]

6. The set of conditions that precede and affect an action, such as the social and historical precedents for the event, as well as the general background{ 5 }; as, against the background of their expulsion by the Serbs, the desire of Kosovars for vengeance is understandable though regrettable. [ PJC ]

7. (Science) The signals that may be detected by a measurement which are not due to the phenomenon being studied, and tend to make the measurement uncertain to a greater or lesser degree. Specifically: (Physics) Electronic noise present in a system using electronic measuring instrument or in a telecommunications system, which may hide and which must be differentiated from the desired signal; also called background noise or noise. [ PJC ]

8. (Journalism) An agreement between a journalist and an interviewee that the name of the interviewee will not be quoted in any publication, although the substance of the remarks may be reported; -- often used in the phrase “on background”. Compare deep background. [ PJC ]

To place in the background, to make of little consequence.
To keep in the background, to remain unobtrusive, inconspicuous or out of sight; -- of people.
deep background, (Journalism) the status of an interview which must not be quoted in a publication, even without attribution. Compare background{ 8 }. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. (Computers) The execution of low priority programs while higher priority programs are not using the processing system.
Syn. -- background processing [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Blackguarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Blackguarding. ] To revile or abuse in scurrilous language. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Scurrilous; abusive; low; worthless; vicious; as, blackguard language. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Black + guard. ] 1. The scullions and lower menials of a court, or of a nobleman's household, who, in a removal from one residence to another, had charge of the kitchen utensils, and being smutted by them, were jocularly called the “black guard”; also, the servants and hangers-on of an army. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A lousy slave, that . . . rode with the black guard in the duke's carriage, 'mongst spits and dripping pans. Webster (1612). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The criminals and vagrants or vagabonds of a town or community, collectively. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A person of stained or low character, esp. one who uses scurrilous language, or treats others with foul abuse; a scoundrel; a rough. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man whose manners and sentiments are decidedly below those of his class deserves to be called a blackguard. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A vagrant; a bootblack; a gamin. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The conduct or language of a blackguard; ruffianism. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. In the manner of or resembling a blackguard; abusive; scurrilous; ruffianly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. ten grams. [ abbr. ]
Syn. -- dekagram, decagram, dag. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Ginkgoes [ Chin., silver fruit. ] (Bot.) A large ornamental tree (Ginkgo biloba) from China and Japan, belonging to the Yew suborder of Coniferæ. Its leaves are so like those of some maidenhair ferns, that it is also called the maidenhair tree. [ 1913 Webster ]