backstairs

adjective

back·​stairs ˈbak-ˌsterz How to pronounce backstairs (audio)
1
: secret, furtive
backstairs political deals
2
: sordid, scandalous
backstairs gossip

Did you know?

When Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery, wrote in 1654 about leading someone "down a back-stairs," he wasn’t referring to anything scandalous. He simply meant "down a secondary set of stairs at the back of a house." Just over a decade earlier, however, Boyle’s contemporary, Sir Edward Dering, had used the phrase "going up the back-stairs" in a figurative way to suggest a means of approach that was not entirely honest and upfront. The figurative use likely arose from the simple notion that the stairs at the rear of a building are less visible and thus allow for a certain degree of sneakiness. By 1663, backstairs was also being used adjectivally to describe something done furtively, often with an underhanded or sinister connotation.

Examples of backstairs in a Sentence

an influential Washington lobbyist who has been involved in a number of backstairs deals to limit regulation of financial institutions
Recent Examples on the Web And in North Carolina, a boyish trial lawyer with jury-pleasing charm (John Edwards) knocked off Lauch Faircloth, a GOP senator who played a backstairs role in getting Kenneth Starr appointed as independent counsel. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backstairs.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of backstairs was in 1663

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Cite this Entry

“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backstairs. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

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