behind someone's back

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

behind someone's back

1. (idiomatic) Without somebody's knowledge; secretly.

   The employees talked about their boss behind his back.

   You will lose good karma if you say bad things behind people's backs.

   • Template:RQ:Frgsn Zlnstn

     I had never defrauded a man of a farthing, nor called him knave behind his back. But now the last rag that covered my nakedness had been torn from me. I was branded a blackleg, card-sharper, and murderer.

Translations

secretly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: selän takana
• French: dans le dos de quelqu’un (fr), à l’insu de quelqu’un, à son insu (fr), (informal) en douce (fr), (formal) subrepticement (fr)
• German: hinter jemandes Rücken; (adverbially also) hinterrücks (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: di belakang
• Italian: alle spalle
• Russian: за глаза́ (ru) (za glazá)
• Spanish: a espaldas de alguien
• Swedish: bakom någons rygg (sv), bakom ryggen på någon (sv)