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
Abiram	ə-BIE-rəm (English)	Biblical
Sree	-	Indian, Telugu, Tamil
Bagot	['bægət]
Laverne	lə-VURN	English
Afroditi	-	Greek
Elli (1)	E-lee	German