GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Found 2 definitions
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Back, a.
- Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements.1913 Webster
- Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent.1913 Webster
- 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
- Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements.
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Backstairs, Back stairs. n. Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished from the front stairs; a second staircase at the rear of a building; hence, a private or indirect way.1913 Webster+WordNet 1.5