behindhand
- adjective
- /bɪˈhaɪndˌhænd/
- Archaic
:
atrasado
- A morning's work is well behindhand.
Examples
-
And if we are behindhand in figuring out a little about the recent past so that we might half know what to do next, that is, if we can't guess, we argue about that.
Fiction book (1991) -
Now, I'm a bit behindhand with things, so there may be a bit of a... -
-
Ours, that is, members of the Society of Jesus, are not behindhand in this polemical arena.
Academic text (2005) -
Ye're behindhand already.
-
As long as everyone else is being put through this senseless humiliation, I mustn't be behindhand in bearing my share.
Fiction book (1993) -
Nonie likes nervous, soft-mannered kids with some social glamour; she'll pick a girl or a boy with a noticeably behindhand, peripheral social beauty.
Fiction book (1991) -
He was behindhand in paying his rent and received a warning from his landlord.
-
If you are behindhand with your assignments, it's best to catch up before the deadline.
-
After falling ill, she found herself behindhand in her work, struggling to meet her deadlines.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
After the usual or planned time
243
1.0
In a position with a lower score or later than others
103
2.7
Not done, paid, or returned by the expected time
36
3.7
Not doing tasks or paying bills when you should
25
3.9
Arriving or happening later than expected
4
7.4
Being late paying money you owe
1
3.2
Not arriving or starting at the expected time
Antonyms
How Late
Surface Forms
Morphology
behindhand = hand (semi-transparent) = behind + hand
Formally a compound of 'behind' + 'hand', but the sense 'late/overdue' is somewhat idiomatic and 'hand' here is an archaic/figurative element, so the meaning is not fully predictable from the parts. [Postprocessing: moved 'behind' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
Behindhand is easy to remember: it joins behind ('at the back' or 'late') with hand, a word that can mean 'help' or 'time'. So if you are behindhand with bills or work, the help or time was not 'at hand', and you are late or overdue.