bend over backwards

English

Alternative forms

• bend over backward

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

bend over backwards (third-person singular simple present bends over backwards, present participle bending over backwards, simple past and past participle bent over backwards)

1. (idiomatic, informal) To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.

   Synonym: (UK) lean over backwards

   They bent over backwards to make sure everything was just right for the visit.

   • 2011 July 27, Jon Henley, “Rupert Murdoch and the battle of Wapping: 25 years on”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     The police were plainly on his side. Lawyers helped, too, with a letter he used to justify his strategy. And of course the government of the day bent over backwards to ensure nothing would stand in the way of the media baron's ambitions.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bend over,‎ backwards.

Translations

make a great effort

• Azerbaijani: dəridən-qabıqdan çıxmaq
• Bavarian: si an Haxn ausreißn (literally “to rip one's leg out”)
• Catalan: fer mans i mànigues
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 竭盡全力／竭尽全力 (zh) (jiéjìnquánlì), 拚命 (zh) (pànmìng)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: tehdä kaikkensa (literally “to do one's everything”)
• French: se mettre en quatre (fr), se plier en quatre (fr), se couper en quatre (fr), se donner du mal
• German: sich ein Bein ausreißen (literally “to rip one's leg out”)
• Hungarian: kezét-lábát töri, majd hanyatt esik, majd összetöri magát (+ igyekezetében), mindent elkövet
• Italian: farsi in quattro, darsi pena, fare l'impossibile
• Polish: wychodzić ze skóry (pl) impf, wychodzić z siebie (pl) impf, stawać na głowie (pl) impf, stawać na rzęsach impf, stawać na uszach impf
• Portuguese: fazer de tudo, fazer das tripas coração
• Russian: лезть из кожи вон (leztʹ iz koži von) (crawl out of one's own skin), расшибаться в лепёшку (rasšibatʹsja v lepjóšku) (crush oneself like a pancake)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: slå knut på sig själv (literally “to tie oneself into a knot”)

References

• “bend over backwards”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.