backbench

See also: back-bench

English

Alternative forms

• back bench
• back-bench

Etymology

back +‎ bench

Adjective

backbench (not comparable)

1. relating to the back benches in parliament

   He prefers to be a backbench MP.

2. Pertaining to the preparation of a donor organ prior to transplantation.
   • 2009, Michelle Green, 3-2-1 Code It!, →ISBN, page 523:

     Cold preservation is a component of the donor organ resection procedure, not the backbench preparation.

   • 2013, A. Osama Gaber, Current Topics in Transplantation, An Issue of Surgical Clinics, →ISBN:

     Regardless of the origin of the kidney graft, LD or deceased donor, backbench preparation for robotic implantation follows some specific steps.

   • 2014, Carol J. Buck, Step-by-Step Medical Coding, →ISBN, page 702:

     The transplant procedure involves obtaining the graft to be transplanted (from a cadaver or living donor), backbench work (special preparation of the graft before transplantation), and transplantation into the recipient.

3. Secondary or inactive.
   • 2011, Jack Griffin, How to Say It: Be Indispensable at Work, →ISBN:

     In contrast, the less able, the backbench players, tend to stick around, and if they're in a position of power, they are also inclined to hire and promote other also-rans or, worse, people incapable of even finishing the race.

   • 2012, S. Allegrezza, A. Dubrocard, Internet Econometrics, →ISBN:

     In view of this, it is clear why internet service providers (ISPs) are inclined to play a backbench role when it comes to combating file sharing.

Noun

backbench (plural backbenches)

1. A bench at the back of a room or seating area.
   • 2003, Charles Mitchell, Hues of Tokyo: Tales of Today's Japan, →ISBN, page 169:

     But no one was waiting at the backbench and the older fellow looked as if he had dug in to stay.

   • 2006, CJ Becker, The Dream of America: As Seen from Saracen's Head Tavern, →ISBN:

     Some other playgoers are supping on the day's pottage at the backbenches nearby, some with a glass of reddish everyday plonk.

   1. (politics, UK, New Zealand, often attributive) In a house of legislature following the model of the Westminster system (such as the UK House of Commons), any bench behind either of the front benches and occupied by rank-and-file members.

      His spacious quarters indicate his transition from backbench upstart to established member of the governing team.

      • 1963, Richard L. Sklar, Nigerian Political Parties: Power in an Emergent African Nation, published 2004, page 400:

        There was no separate back-bench organization ; indeed there were no back-bench caucuses in any Nigerian Legislative House, and any attempt to create one would probably have been regarded by the leadership concerned as a subversive move.

      • 1995, R. L. Borthwick, Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership Since 1945‎^[1], page 153:

        Both Thatcher's and Major's PPSs developed the role of trying to see that those members considered loyal to the leadership won the main positions on backbench party committees.

      • 1997, David Campbell Docherty, Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa: Life in the House of Commons:

        In fall 1984, Brian Mulroney led a cabinet with far more political experience than the Conservative backbench.

      • 2009, John Coakley, Michael Gallagher, Politics in the Republic of Ireland, page 301,

        In situations of low ministerial turnover and increased professionalisation of politics, with most TDs regarding politics as a career, Taoisigh could find that impatience on the backbenches leads to calls for leadership turnover to effect promotions.

   2. The back row of a classroom.
      • 1981, Arun Bhattacharjee, Misconduct of Students: A Legal and Disciplinary Study, page 82:

        The petitioner who was a student of Class X was in the backbench when a lady teacher was teaching there.

      • 2006, Harsh V. Verma, Brand Management: Text and Cases, →ISBN, page 126:

        For students who are seriously interested in studies, the front row gives them good proximity to the teacher, while for the students who want to avoid studying, the backbenches are good.

      • 2014, Fnu Lnu, Crimson Blood, →ISBN, page 279:

        She slipped into a seat in the backbench and pulled out her casebook, notebook and Crim Law outline.

      • 2015, Kumar Ravi, The Backbench Masti-keers, →ISBN, page 2015:

        After lunch, I joined my group at the backbench for the next class.

   3. The back pew of a church.
      • 1972, Douglas W. Johnson, George W. Cornell, Punctured Preconceptions: what North American Christians Think about the Church:

        Through this two-year, transcontinental colloquy, through this vast outpouring of personal sentiments and reactions from poor homes and rich, from backwoods cabins and metropolitan penthouses, from the young and old, from dubious backbench sitters and busy pillars of the congregations, from the bitter and the satisfied, each person telling it as he or she saw it.

      • 2005, Elaine Bonzelaar, Those First Two Years, →ISBN, page 209:

        We settled Gord with Thea, Jim and Jane in the backbench of church, then joined him there.

      • 2009, Ola Tjrhom, Embodied Faith: Reflections on a Materialist Spirituality, →ISBN, page 77:

        As a result of privatization, many are eager to do what a Norwegian rock-star-pastor recommends — namely to occupy the backbench of the church.

   4. A back bench in a courtroom.
      • 2001, Pearl Ayi-Bonte, Almost Like Love: The Love that Never was, page 17:

        Seated on the backbench of the courtroom, Emerald had mixed feelings.

      • 2009, Ian J. Findlay, Saunie Brown, Women: the New Doggs, →ISBN, page 38:

        When they entered the courtroom Lawna noticed her father sitting lonely in the backbench.

      • 2010, Jeff Deck, Benjamin D. Herson, The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time, →ISBN:

        “This is way worse than we thought,” I whispered to Benjamin as we sat on a back bench in the diminutive courtroom.

      • 2019, Abhishek Verma, Untruth, Untruth, →ISBN:

        Shekha, Sir Kakkar and Yavi were sitting on the front bench. Himani and Kjinlay were sitting on the backbench; all of them were concentrating on the proceedings of the court

   5. The back seat of an automobile, van, or bus.
      • 2003, Virginia Kreimeyer, Sins of the Fathers, →ISBN, page 15:

        They scooted into a double seat near the rear and noticed that even with four people squeezed into the backbench, they had been lucky to find the last empty places.

      • 2003, Coby Derek James, Mugged in Marseilles, →ISBN, page 5:

        Chet and Wende looked helplessly at each other on the backbench of the Ford van.

      • 2009, John Burbridge, The Blockade, →ISBN, page 106:

        Lightning outlines Woo Doggy's silhouette outside the backbench door. Kris stretches over to unlock it.

2. A position of secondary importance.
   • 1994, Citizen - Volume 5, Issues 1-8, page 41:

     Niger, as a country belongs to the backbench of African soccer.

   • 2010, Ezra E. H. Griffith, Ye Shall Dream: Patriarch Granville Williams and the Barbados Spiritual Baptists, page 180:

     In other words, they were put on the proverbial backbench.

   • 2012, Xin Liu, The Mirage of China, →ISBN, page 133:

     So far we have made the Maoist experience sit at an analytical distance in a conceptual backbench, for our attention has been focused on the more recent happenings that have given rise to the current age.

   • 2018, Elis James, John Robins, Elis and John Present the Holy Vible: The Book The Bible Could Have Been, →ISBN:

     The Harry Potter Devotee (HPD) offers ten names that might be characters in the Harry Potter series of books (preferably from the backbenches of the wizarding world to make it more challenging), and the adult must try to guess whether they are real or fake.

3. (newspaper, publishing) A group of top-level journalists who jointly review submissions and decide on the layout and emphasis of the newspaper.
   • 1996, David Twiston-Davies, Canada from Afar: The Daily Telegraph Book of Canadian Obituaries, →ISBN:

     A good spread could be allotted on a news page if the dead person was deemed worthy by the powerful and sceptical members of the “backbench” of the senior sub-editors.

   • 2006, Ken Haley, Emails from the Edge: A Journey Through Troubled Times, →ISBN, page 17:

     The attitude of the Observer backbench when I filed the story the following sunday showed how happy my sub-editing colleagues from the previous winter were with my feat.

   • 2013, Chris Horrie, Peter Chippindale, Stick It Up Your Punter!: The Uncut Story of the Sun Newspaper, →ISBN:

     After his copy had dropped, MacKenzie had gone over to the backbench and instructed them: 'Don't change a word of this. Then if he's got it wrong the little fucker won't be able to wriggle out of this one!'

Related terms

• backbencher

References

• “backbench”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.