backstairs

English

Alternative forms

• back stairs

Noun

backstairs (plural only)

1. A staircase at the rear of a building or one normally only used by servants and tradesmen.
2. An indirect or furtive means of access or intercourse.
   • 1934 March 27, “De Valera Move Hits Dignity Of Governor-General”, Christian Science Monitor:

     The straight-forward course, they say, would be to proclaim outright, instead of trying to bring it in by the backstairs.

Adjective

backstairs (comparative more backstairs, superlative most backstairs)

1. Secret or furtive.
   • {{rfdate}, Edmund Burke

     A backstairs influence

   • (Can we date this quote?) Trevelyan

     Female caprice and backstairs influence.

2. Scandalous.

Synonyms

• backstair