🚪 A rear staircase 🤫 Secret and dishonest

backstairs

9.8

Being secret and dishonest in a hidden, sly way

adjective

Archaic

: secreto

The politician was accused of backstairs dealings with powerful lobbyists.

Examples

Many politicians engage in backstairs negotiations.
She resented the backstairs gossip that followed her every move.
His rise to power was marked by backstairs maneuvering and secret alliances.
The backstairs deal was revealed during the investigation.
His rise to power was marked by backstairs maneuvering and secret alliances.
The politician was accused of backstairs dealings with powerful lobbyists.
She resented the backstairs gossip that followed her every move.

Synonyms

furtive

vsbackstairs

14 7.5

To act quietly and secretly to avoid being seen

focuses on secret acts that are dishonorable or underhanded

backstair

vsbackstairs

Archaic

9.9

Secret and dishonest actions done in private

is the general label for secret and dishonorable behavior

backstreet

vsbackstairs

7.2

Describes businesses that are secret and illegal, like clinics or factories

applies to secret sly dishonorable behavior not only for illegal businesses

Antonyms

open

702 1.0

Willing to consider new ideas

honorable

253 3.7

A person who behaves in a morally good way and deserves respect

How Underhanded

dishonorable

23 6.0

backstairs

Archaic

9.8

underhanded

16 7.2

furtive

14 7.5

sly

31 4.9

Surface Forms

backstairs positive

Morphology

backstairs = back + stairs (opaque) = back + stairs

The literal compound refers to stairs at the back of a building, but the modern sense 'secret and dishonorable' is a figurative extension that is not directly predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Backstairs comes from back ('rear') and stairs ('steps'), and it later came to mean 'secret' or 'dishonest' because those hidden steps let people meet or act out of sight. So calling something backstairs means it was done quietly and unfairly behind people's backs.