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backstairs

adjective
back·​stairs | \ ˈbak-ËŒsterz How to pronounce backstairs (audio) \

Definition of backstairs

1 : secret, furtive backstairs political deals
2 : sordid, scandalous backstairs gossip
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about backstairs

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Did You Know?

When Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, wrote in 1654 about leading someone "down a back-stairs," he wasn’t referring to anything scandalous. He simply meant "down a secondary set of stairs at the back of a house." Just over a decade earlier, however, Boyle’s contemporary, Sir Edward Dering, had used the phrase "going up the back-stairs" in a figurative way to suggest a means of approach that was not entirely honest and upfront. The figurative use likely arose from the simple notion that the stairs at the rear of a building are less visible and thus allow for a certain degree of sneakiness. By 1663, backstairs was also being used adjectivally to describe something done furtively, often with an underhanded or sinister connotation.

Examples of backstairs in a Sentence

an influential Washington lobbyist who has been involved in a number of backstairs deals to limit regulation of financial institutions

Recent Examples on the Web

 And in North Carolina, a boyish trial lawyer with jury-pleasing charm (John Edwards) knocked off Lauch Faircloth, a GOP senator who played a backstairs role in getting Kenneth Starr appointed as independent counsel. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, "1998 Was a Seinfeld Election—Not an Impeachment Referendum," 6 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backstairs.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of backstairs

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for backstairs

backstairs

adjective
How to pronounce backstairs (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of backstairs

chiefly British, informal : done in a secret and usually improper way

See the full definition for backstairs in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on backstairs

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with backstairs

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for backstairs

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