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	Pronounced	Usage
Rohesia	-	Medieval English (Latinized)
Madhur	-	Indian, Hindi
Ogechi	-	Western African, Igbo
Kittie	['kiti]
Batari	-	Indonesian
Uzoma	-	Western African, Igbo