Also: go behind someone’s back
Meaning of Idiom ‘Behind Someone’s Back’
If you do something behind someone’s back, you do it without them being present and without them knowing, in a way that is unfair, unkind, or dishonest; to act secretly or deceptively in a way that goes against someone else’s expectations, wishes, or authority.
The variation to go behind someone’s back holds much the same meaning but it entails doing something secret without getting someone’s permission or approval; also, to sidestep their authority. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Brenner, Gail. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.,3Definition of go behind someone’s back, Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers.
Usage Notes
Although this idiom is used in various circumstances, it almost always implies a hint of betrayal.
Examples Of Use
“I made it clear that you were not to go in his car yet you went behind my back and rode with him anyway. You know he has two DUI’s.”
“I know he’s been talking about me behind my back.”
“Instead of talking to me about this, you went behind my back to the boss. Now I’m in trouble for not looking into it!”
“I’m sure she’s been seeing other guys behind my back.”
“Don’t trust Kim. She’s two-faced. She talks about you behind your back.”
Origin
Used since the early 1300s.
The idiom appears in Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thoma Malory (c.1470):
To say of me wrong or shame behind my back. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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