behind someone's back

Definitions

Without somebody's knowledge; secretly.

idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“The employees talked about their boss behind his back.”

“You will lose⟳ good karma if you say⟳ bad things behind people's backs.”

“I had never defrauded a man of a farthing, nor called him knave behind his back. But now the last⟳ rag that covered my nakedness had been torn from me. I was branded a blackleg, card-sharper, and murderer.”

“Giant machines, precision tools, monster missiles, and all such [they] did lack. Indeed, the last⟳ industrial revolution happened behind their back.”

“You can all just kiss off into the air / Behind my back I can see⟳ them stare⟳ / They'll hurt⟳ me bad, but I won't mind⟳ / They'll hurt⟳ me bad, they do it all the time”

CEFR level