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behind someone's back

Date: Sep 02 2010

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“At least men were gentlemen back then. They might say something behind your back, but at least they opened the door.”

- Actress January Jones on how men have changed since the 1960s. (Us Weekly)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

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without telling someone; done in secret

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

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There is an old riddle that goes, “If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, does it make a sound?” You could also say, if someone says something mean about you but you don’t know it, does it matter?

When someone does or says something mean or rude and doesn’t tell you, we say it’s behind your back. Let’s say your best friend makes fun of your outfit. If it happens behind your back, you can’t see or hear it happening. You don’t know about it. So, it can’t really hurt your feelings…unless you find out about it later.

If you find out that someone said or did something mean behind your back, you might feel betrayed. For example, you might wish that your friend had just been honest with you about your outfit, or told you to your face how she felt about it. Saying something to someone’s face is the opposite of saying it behind their back.

On the TV show Mad Men, January Jones plays a housewife in the 1960s. January thinks that in the 60s, men talked about women behind their backs. But they still acted like gentlemen to their faces. In her opinion, it is important to act polite to people in person, even if you are rude to them behind their backs.

Do you ever gossip about people behind their backs? Has anyone ever said anything mean about you behind your back? How did you find out?

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

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“I can’t believe my sister asked my boyfriend out behind my back.”

“I would never go behind my wife’s back; I think it’s important to be honest in a relationship.”

“Dylan is nice to Jennifer’s face, but he always talks about her behind her back.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	without someone's knowledge or permission by crumarina
	Behind your back means not in front of you. by Mr.Bean's wife
	gossip, tell something about you the third person, when you are not present - usually something nasty by DecapitatedLucia
	Behind your back = talk about someone in a negative way without him/her knowing . by Fantasy_Garden
	gossip about you by ehwaz
	without sb's knowledge or permission by chomo
	I guess, behind someone's back, is means, to do some bad things or say some bad words behind someone eles by happysmilesunny
	talk something bad about you when you not around by peachmuse
	when you're not present. talking behind someone's back usually means saying bad things about someone when they're not here. by peepinchique
	gossip or chattin about someone when its not present. by happy star
	to say or do something bad not in front of someone. by narsen92
	without a person's knowledge and in an unfair way,furtively by Mostafa5
	gossip / someone having an opinion about you and sharing it with someone else, not with you by bystander :-)
	to talk bad about someone by Thanychanx3
	Talk bad about someone when that person is not there by -Tiago-
	to say behind someone's back means to speak in his absence by monacovalentina
	It means somebody talk or do something that you don't know by Sergio M
	not directly to somebody by nat182
	rumor or complaint about you when ou are not there by Gellerke

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Comments

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abdi samed

Somalia

it maens to talk about someone`s affairs that you do not asked any permission its like gossip

dreamatworksnow

India

I think everybody does it. I do. My friends do. But I try my best not to say something behind my brother, wife and parents. Anyhow it's not a good practice to say something behind someone's back.. I like and respect those of my friends who tell on my face, if they don't like something..I try to improve in that area. Sometime it's very difficult to say something on your face..and people prefer to say it behind your back.. In my opinion, there might be several reasons for this. First and foremost of them , you are not ready to listen to your friends or family members, you start fighting if someone tells on your face. Second,You do several things against them. They can't tell you . How will they burst their frustation?They will say all those things behind your back. Sometime, it is not possible to say on your face. If you do something wrong, and you also know that it is wrong.In this case, people will only talk behind your back..

foz12

Saudi Arabia

no one is angel and complete with out any wrong
we are human and that kind of what people are doing of course not all of them
to be honest with you , I goosipe a bout my boss some time but not in bad( when I'm angery from him)
way like about how he give me the order and instruction but I think that is not
kind of behind his back or isn't any way behind someone's back happened a lot especially when they judge the person without no hem and talking in a bad way so rude and unfair

miym

Sudan

somebody talks behind you … oh you need eyes on the back of your head

branden

South Korea

I think that gossip is not good, but, always in our mind, full of other peoples story.

It's hard to control our mind not to denounce.

masiran

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

its backbiting in my opinion there r somethings that we cant say people to their face becouse we afraid of their act but i think if u dont say anything behind someones back they dont too

happysmilesunny

China

Just stand there and listen to them to take about it, and then when they finished, I would appear in front of them and make them surprise, and ask them why would they say like that? Is it's the truth, I would be on the shoes and then hear their explaination. At last, communication is good, but if they done something wrong, I would not forgive them.

An-china

Germany

I never gossip about people behind their back. in my heart, u are the one u just say. if u looked someone is bad,u see so many shortcoming of others, that's just because of yourself. it's your problem. it's just because u don't open ur heart, to look the beautiful world.

and if others say something bad behind others back to me, i just tell them to be tolerant. to be smile.

always smile, to everything, that's ok.