stab in the back, a



stab in the back, a

A betrayal of trust, an act of treachery, as in Voting against our bill at the last minute was a real stab in the back. It is also put as stab someone in the back, meaning "betray someone." For example, Don't trust George; he's been known to stab his friends in the back. Both the noun and verb forms of this idiom, alluding to a physical attack when one's back is turned, date from the early 1900s.
See also: stab

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Ladislao-Italian
JustyJUS-teeEnglish
Beatricebe-ah-TREE-che (Italian), BEE-ə-tris (English), BEE-tris (English), BE-ah-trees (Swedish), be-ah-TREES (Swedish)Italian, English, Swedish
MercheMER-cheSpanish
Elliot[eli'ɔt]
Petulapə-TYOO-ləEnglish (Rare)