[f. BACK sb.1]
I. To line the back of, make a back to.
† 1. To cover the back, clothe. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. XI. 185. To breke beggeris bred & bakken hem [v.r. bak hym, bachem] with cloþis.
2. To put a back to, to line the back, or form the back part of.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 220. The ashler walls were backed … with rubble stone, or with bricks.
1884. Law Times Rep., LI. 230/2. That A. B. do back and cope a hundred rods of their wall.
Mod. This book requires to be backed.
3. To form the rear of, lie at the back of.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, IV. vi. 162. Its ruined castle backing the city.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxxi. (1856), 270. This beach is backed by rolling dunelike hills.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 167. The chalk cliffs which back the beach.
II. To support at the back. (Cf. BACK sb. 12.)
4. To support or help mechanically, materially,
a. of persons: orig. with physical force, hence with authority, money; to uphold, aid, second.
1548. W. Patten, Exp. Scotl., Arb., Garner, III. 98. A troup of Demi-lances to back them.
1594. Greene, Orl. Fur. (1599), 30. He backt the Prince of Cuba for my foe.
c. 1620. ? Rowley, Birth of Merlin (1662), IV. ii. 340. The Saxons which thou broughtst to back thy usurpations, are grown great.
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. 70. One, that … had taken upon him to back the Lions.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. x. 503. Demands which had been backed by an armed force.
1880. Jefferies, Hodge & M., I. 79. The old uncle who had ‘backed’ him at the bank.
b. of things. Also fig.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, V. i. 122. They [kingdoms] are strong by nature, when they are enuironed with the seas round about, or part thereof, or backed with lakes, mountaines, riuers, or desertes.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), s.v., To Back an anchor, to carry out a small anchor … ahead of the large one … in order to support it, and prevent it from loosening.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 65. To back a rope or chain; to put on a preventer, when it is thought likely to break from age or extra strain.
1876. Green, Short Hist., ii. § 6 (1882), 91. The moral revolution … was backed by a religious revival.
5. To support morally (by arguments, etc.).
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus i. 9. (1619), 205. Which Godly course Augustine backeth.
1722. De Foe, Moll Fl. (1840), 313. He backed his discourses with proper quotations of scripture.
1853. H. Rogers, Ecl. Faith, 76. Authoritative teaching … backed by the performance of miracles?
† 6. refl. To support or stay oneself. Obs.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 189. Others … backe themselves with this, That your best Preachers are no better then they should be.
7. To support one’s opinions, judgments, etc., as to an undecided issue, by a wager or bet. To back a horse: to bet or stake money upon his winning a race; to back the field: to bet upon the aggregate of the horses in a race, against one in particular.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Ecl., iii. 44. Now back your Singing with an equal Stake.
1699. Luttrell, Brief Rel., IV. 505. The lord Wharton’s horse Carelesse has beaten another backt by the duke of Devon, &c. for 1900l. at Newmarket.
1817. Byron, Beppo, xxvii. Most men (till by losing render’d sager) Will back their own opinions with a wager.
1835. Marryat, Jac. Faithf., xxiii. 80. Some one backed me against another man in the ring for fifty pound a side.
8. To back up: to stand behind with intent to support or second, to uphold or support materially or morally; esp. in Cricket (of a fielder): To run behind another fielder in readiness to stop the ball if he should fail to do it; (of the batsman at the bowler’s end): To start in readiness for a run; and similarly in other games.
1865. M. Arnold, Ess. Crit., i. (1875), 32. Let us all stick to each other and back each other up.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xxi. 359. He prolonged Cæsar’s command, and backed him up in everything.
1883. Abp. Benson, in Standard, 28 June, 2/3. Varied appeals to strengthen and ‘back up’ their own long-continued unrewarding efforts.
9. Sporting, of dogs: To follow the lead of a dog that ‘points,’ by falling into the same perfectly stiff or semi-cataleptic state.
1860. Encycl. Brit., XX. 220/1. A dog which backs another is not aware of the proximity of game at the time otherwise than by inference.
1875. ‘Stonehenge,’ Brit. Sports, I. I. iii. § 6. 69. Some very high-couraged dogs are very difficult to make ‘back’; I have known many highly-bred ones in which the cataleptic condition was never fully developed.
III. To mount on the back of.
10. To mount, ride on (a horse); also, to break him in to the saddle. Also, fig. of the billows, etc. (Cf. To breast the waves.)
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., lxx. The colt that’s backed and burthened being young. Ibid. (1596), 1 Hen. IV., II. iii. 74. That Roane shall be my Throne. Well, I will backe him straight.
c. 1620. Fletcher & Mass., Trag. Barnavelt, V. iii. Back the raging waves to bring you proffit.
1623. Cockeram, Dict., III. s.v. Bucephalus, He would suffer none to backe him, but his Master.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist., I. i. i. (1862), 250. The French horses … must not be backed till they are eight years old.
1783. Ainsworth, Lat. Dict. (Morell), To back, or break a horse, Equum domare.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, IV. xxx. Could they have back’d the Dromedary then.
† 11. To cover (used of animals in copulation).
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 927. When as the female or she Asse would be backt.
IV. To write or print at the back of.
12. a. To countersign a warrant. b. To endorse a bill, or check. c. To print on the back (as well as the front).
1768. Blackstone, Comm., IV. 238. The warrant of a justice of the peace in one county … must be backed, that is, signed by a justice of the peace in another … before it can be executed there.
V. trans. To cause to move back, put back.
† 13. To draw back, withdraw. Obs.
1578. Timme, Calvin on Gen., 52. If he do but a little backe his hande, all things shall by and by perish, etc.
14. To set, lay, or incline back.
1846. Ellis, Elgin Marb., I. 27. Was scooped in, and backed against the rock.
b. To back a sail, a yard: to lay it aback; ‘to brace the yard so that the wind may blow directly on the front of the sail, and thus retard the ship’s course.’ Also absolutely.
1707. London Gaz., No. 4380/3. The Firebrand … immediately backing her Foresail, drove off.
1812. Capt. Carden, in Examiner, 4 Jan. (1813), 6/1. The enemy backed and came to the wind.
1828. Moore, Meet. of Ships, iii. Then sails are backed, we nearer come.
1847. Sir J. Ross, Voy. S. Pole, II. 168. By backing and filling the sails we endeavoured to avoid collision with the larger masses [of ice].
15. To push back, cause to move back or in the opposite direction.
1812. Examiner, 24 Aug., 533/1. One … seized the horse by the nose, backed him.
1814. Southey, Roderick, XXV. And with sidelong step Backing Orelio, drew him to the ground.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, viii. Backing his chair a little.
b. esp. To propel in the opposite direction, by reversing the action; as, to back a locomotive engine, a boat; also, to back the oars, and, in same sense, to back water.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), s.v., To back astern … is to manage the oars in a direction contrary to the usual method, so as that the boat … shall retreat.
1823. J. F. Cooper, Pioneer, xxvii. ‘Back water,’ cried Natty, as the canoe glided over the place.
1830. Marryat, King’s Own, xlvi. Before the boats could be backed astern. Ibid. (1837), Dog Fiend, xv. The smugglers backed water to stop their way.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 65. A sailing vessel is backed by means of the sails, a steamer by reversing the paddles or screw-propeller. Back her! The order directing the engineer to reverse the movement of the cranks, and urge the vessel astern.
1884. Manch. Exam., 18 Sept., 5/2. Then the train was backed.
VI. intr. (for refl.) To move, go, come back.
16. To move back, recede, retreat backward.
1486. Bk. St. Albans, Hawking, B vj. The terettys serue to kepe hir from wyndyng whan she backes.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xvi. (1856), 123. Backing into wider quarters.
1860. Dickens, Uncomm. Trav., v. (1866), 33/2. Backing into the fireplace.
1873. G. Davies, Mount. and Mere, xiv. 109. The big fish slowly backed out of sight.
17. To move in the reverse direction. Said of the wind when it changes in a direction opposite to the course of the sun. Opposed to veer.
1860. Adm. Fitz-Roy, in Merc. Mar. Mag., VII. 40. The wind appeared to ‘back,’ or ‘retrograde.’
1870. Lowell, Study Wind., 5. Did the wind back round or go about with the sun?
18. To back out: to move backward out of a place without turning; fig. to draw back cautiously or tacitly from an arrangement or situation, to retreat out of a difficulty.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, viii. Determined that Morris should not back out of the scrape so easily.
1830. Marryat, King’s Own, xxi. ‘Sure your honour’s in luck’ … replied Barney, grinning, and backing out of the room.
1863. Mrs. C. Clarke, Shaks. Char., ix. 226. Octavius backs out; his caution and reserve come to his rescue.
19. To back down: to descend as one does a ladder; to recede downward from a position taken up. Also fig.
1880. St. James’s Gaz., 11 Oct. Unless the Government back down from their preparations at this point.
1884. W. M. Dickson, in Harper’s Mag., June, 66/2. Be firm, don’t back down.
