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- take aback
take aback
take aback
Surprise, shock, as in He was taken aback by her caustic remark. This idiom comes from nautical terminology of the mid-1700s, when be taken aback referred to the stalling of a ship caused by a wind shift that made the sails lay back against the masts. Its figurative use was first recorded in 1829.
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Bernice | | ['bə:nis] | |
Isolda | | i-ZOL-də (English), i-SOL-də (English) | Arthurian Romance |
Ahab | | AY-hab (English) | Biblical, Biblical Latin |
Cailyn | | KAY-lin | English (Modern) |
Cleopas | | KLEE-ə-pəs (English) | Biblical, Biblical Latin |
Innocent | | IN-ə-sənt (English) | History |