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
Vickie	['viki]
Bluma	BLOO-mah	Yiddish
Lysistrata	-	Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Bonifacy	baw-nee-FAH-tsi	Polish
Regan	REE-gən	English
Edi	-	Slovene, Croatian