-backings-

n. An abacus. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. On horseback. [ 1913 Webster ]

Two suspicious fellows ahorseback. Smollet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bac: cf. Arm. bag, bak a bark, D. bak tray, bowl. ] 1. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hop back,
Jack back, the cistern which receives the infusion of malt and hops from the copper. --
Wash back, a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to form wash. --
Water back, 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A ferryboat. See Bac, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. bæc, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., & LG. bak, Dan. bag; cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn, OSlav. bēgŭ flight. Cf. Bacon. ] 1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish, or lobster. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ The mountains ] their broad bare backs upheave
Into the clouds. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back of a hand rail. [ 1913 Webster ]

Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this,
Gave me your hands, the backs and palms to kiss. Donne. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A support or resource in reserve. [ 1913 Webster ]

This project
Should have a back or second, that might hold,
If this should blast in proof. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Naut.) The keel and keelson of a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Mining) The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal underground passage. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. A garment for the back; hence, clothing. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A bak to walken inne by daylight. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Behind one's back, when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back. --
Full back,
Half back,
Quarter back (Football), players stationed behind those in the front line. --
To be on one's back or
To lie on one's back, to be helpless. --
To put one's back up or
to get one's back up, to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a cat when attacked). [ Colloq. ] --
To see the back of, to get rid of. --
To turn the back, to go away; to flee. --
To turn the back on one, to forsake or neglect him. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. [ 1913 Webster ]

Back blocks, Australian pastoral country which is remote from the seacoast or from a river. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ] --
Back charges, charges brought forward after an account has been made up. --
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. --
Back pressure. (Steam Engine) See under Pressure. --
Back rest, a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in turning. --
Back slang, a kind of slang in which every word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man. --
Back stairs, stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary. --
Back step (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or body of men, without changing front. --
Back stream, a current running against the main current of a stream; an eddy. --
To take the back track, to retrace one's steps; to retreat. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Backed p. pr. & vb. n. Backing. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To get upon the back of; to mount. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will back him [ a horse ] straight. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To place or seat upon the back. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed,
Appeared to me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of. [ 1913 Webster ]

A garden . . . with a vineyard backed. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The chalk cliffs which back the beach. Huxley. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, to back a friend. “The Parliament would be backed by the people.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with rewards and punishments. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

The mate backed the captain manfully. Blackw. Mag. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To bet on the success of; -- as, to back a race horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 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. --
To back the oars, to row backward with the oars. --
To back a rope, to put on a preventer. --
To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern. --
To back up, to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's friends. --
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. --
To back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; -- used of the wind. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Sporting) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed; -- said of a dog. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] --
To back out,
To back down, to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or contest; to recede. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding that he [ Nicias ] was in earnest, he tried to back out. Jowett (Thucyd. ) [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Shortened from aback. ] 1. In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left behind; to go back to one's native place; to put a book back after reading it. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private life; to go back to barbarism. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Of time) In times past; ago. “Sixty or seventy years back.” Gladstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Away from contact; by reverse movement. [ 1913 Webster ]

The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back the stone from the door. Matt. xxviii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. In a state of restraint or hindrance. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lord hath kept thee back from honor. Numb. xxiv. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. In return, repayment, or requital. [ 1913 Webster ]

What have I to give you back? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he took back the offensive words. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Back and forth, backwards and forwards; to and fro. --
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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an ache localized in the back. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a discussion; give-and-take. [ PJC ]

n. See Bacharach. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. A kind of wine made at Bacharach on the Rhine. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. Same as Baccare. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } interj. Stand back! give place! -- a cant word of the Elizabethan writers, probably in ridicule of some person who pretended to a knowledge of Latin which he did not possess. [ 1913 Webster ]

Baccare! you are marvelous forward. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2nd back, n. + band. ] (Saddlery) The band which passes over the back of a horse and holds up the shafts of a carriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons of Great Britain. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a member of the House of Commons of Great Britain who is not a party leader. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. an acrobatic feat in which the trunk is bent backward from a standing position until the hands touch the floor. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ 2d back, n. + bite. ] To wound by clandestine detraction; to censure meanly or spitefully (an absent person); to slander or speak evil of (one absent). Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To censure or revile the absent. [ 1913 Webster ]

They are arrant knaves, and will backbite. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who backbites; a secret calumniator or detractor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Secret slander; detraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Backbiting, and bearing of false witness. Piers Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d back, n. + board. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A board which supports the back when one is sitting; specifically, the board athwart the after part of a boat. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A board serving as the back part of anything, as of a wagon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thin stuff used for the backs of framed pictures, mirrors, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A board attached to the rim of a water wheel to prevent the water from running off the floats or paddles into the interior of the wheel. W. Nicholson. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A board worn across the back to give erectness to the figure. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, adv. + bond. ] (Scots Law) An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d back, n. + bone. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone. [ 1913 Webster ]

The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the country. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

We have now come to the backbone of our subject. Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Shelley's thought never had any backbone. Shairp. [ 1913 Webster ]

To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. “Staunch to the backbone.” Lord Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Vertebrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, adv. + cast. ] Anything which brings misfortune upon one, or causes failure in an effort or enterprise; a reverse. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. to make effective from an earlier date; to make retroactive. The increase in tax was backdated to January.
Syn. -- back-date [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. to affix a date earlier than the present date; -- sometimes done for fraudulent purposes. Opposite of postdate.
Syn. -- back-date; predate; antedate. [ PJC ]

Backdate is sometimes used incorrectly for postdate.

a. Acting from behind and in concealment; backstairs; as, backdoor intrigues. [ 1913 Webster ]

A door in the back part of a building; hence, an indirect way. Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A receding or giving up; a complete surrender. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the scenery hung at back of stage. Also called in Britain backcloth.
Syn. -- background, backcloth [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. the background, setting, or circumstances of an event; as, the backdrop for the summit meeting. [ PJC ]

a. Having a back; fitted with a back; as, a backed electrotype or stereotype plate. Used in composition; as, broad-backed; hump-backed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, backs; especially one who backs a person or thing in a contest. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d back, n. + fall. ] A fall or throw on the back in wrestling. [ 1913 Webster ]

. 1. A fire started ahead of a forest or prairie fire to burn only against the wind, so that when the two fires meet both must go out for lack of fuel. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (a) A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in a direction reverse to that in which it should travel; also called a knock or ping. (b) an explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

, v. i. 1. (Engin.) To have or experience a back fire or back fires; -- said of an internal-combustion engine. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Of a Bunsen or similar air-fed burner, to light so that the flame proceeds from the internal gas jet instead of from the external jet of mixed gas and air. -- Back"-fir`ing, n. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

n. (Linguistics) 1. a word invented (usually unwittingly by subtracting an affix) on the assumption that a familiar word derives from it, such as emote from emotion. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the process of inventing a back-formation{ 1 }. [ PJC ]

n. [ Back, n. or adv. + friend. ] A secret enemy. [ Obs. ] South. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Origin unknown; perhaps fr. Dan. bakke tray + E. game; or very likely the first part is from E. back, adv., and the game is so called because the men are often set back. ] A game of chance and skill, played by two persons on a “board” marked off into twenty-four spaces called “points”. Each player has fifteen pieces, or “men”, the movements of which from point to point are determined by throwing dice. Formerly called tables. [ 1913 Webster ]

backgammon board, a board for playing backgammon, often made in the form of two rectangular trays hinged together, each tray containing two “tables”. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 ]