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Glite Dictionary
to blow back out

to blow back out

8.5
To hurt your back badly by lifting or moving something heavy
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : lastimarse la espalda
  • If you lift that box the wrong way, you might blow back out and need medical attention.

Examples

  • She was worried she would blow back out trying to move the heavy furniture by herself.

  • He nearly blew back out at the gym yesterday because he didn't warm up.

  • He blew back out while lifting the heavy box.

  • Don't blow back out your back while exercising!

  • He nearly blew back out at the gym yesterday because he lifted too much weight too quickly.

  • If you bend over to pick up that heavy bag without proper form, you might blow back out.

  • She was worried she would blow back out while trying to lift the large sofa alone.

Synonyms

to blow someone's back out
vsto blow back out
  • Informal
9.9

Make someone have bad back pain from lifting something heavy

is a serious injury caused by one's own exertion or awkward movement

How Severe

to blow back out
  • Informal
8.5

Surface Forms

blow back out infinitive
blowing back out present participle
blows back out third person singular
blew back out past
blown back out past participle

Morphology

blow + back + out

The components 'blow' (forceful action), 'back' (body part) and 'out' (completeness) give a plausible sense of severely damaging the back, so the overall idea is partially inferable. However, the specific colloquial collocation ('blow one's back out') and the polysemy of 'blow out' (extinguish, burst, etc.) make the exact injured-back meaning unpredictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The verb blow back out comes from the image of a sudden force that seems to blow your back out, like a muscle popping when you lift something too heavy. That's why it means 'to seriously injure one's back'.