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Glite Dictionary
backstretch

backstretch

6 8.6
A straight part of a race track on the far side opposite the finish line
  • noun
  • /ˈbækˌstrɛtʃ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : recta trasera
  • Now, coming out of the bend, it's Seabiscuit with a two-length lead coming into the backstretch.
  • backstretch at Belmont
  • backstretch workers
  • move along the backstretch

Examples

  • Sitting in the middle of the pack along the rail down the backstretch, George Vancouver moved up onto the rear of the leader with no urging prior to entering the far turn.

    Blog text (32)

  • Turning into the backstretch is Whichcee in front on the inside by a half-length.

    The Story of Seabiscuit (1949)

  • Down the backstretch they go.

    Higher Learning (1995)

  • So, down the backstretch run, well behind the rest of them, is Mine That Bird.

    50 to 1 (2014)

  • We're moving down the backstretch.

    Secretariat (2010)

  • Out of nowhere, Orange breaks ahead of the pack, and now, in the backstretch, Orange and Green.

    Adventureland (2009)

  • Going into the backstretch, it's Wrecking Crew by two.

    The Sting (1973)

  • Now on the backstretch, Seabiscuit still with a two-length lead.

    Seabiscuit (2003)

  • Down the backstretch, there were three lengths of daylight between him and the closest contender.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • As the race continued, the horses began to pick up speed down the backstretch of the track.

Surface Forms

backstretch singular
backstretches plural

Morphology

backstretch = back + stretch (transparent) = back + stretch

The compound denotes a 'stretch' (length) located at the 'back' (rear) of the track, a meaning derivable from its parts for learners who know those words.

Etymology

Backstretch comes from the simple words back and stretch, where stretch means a 'long, straight part'. That's why a backstretch is the long straight section on the far side of a race track, opposite the finish line.