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单词 back and fill
释义

back and fill

SEE SYNONYMS FOR back and fill ON THESAURUS.COM

Vacillate, be undecided, as in This measure will never be passed if the town meeting continues to back and fill. This term comes from sailing ships, where it signifies alternately backing and filling the sails, a method used when the wind is running against a ship in a narrow channel. The sail is hauled back against the wind and braced so that the tide or current carries the ship forward against the wind. Then the sail must be swung around and filled, to keep the ship on course. The term's figurative use for indecisiveness dates from the mid-1800s.

Words nearby back and fill

back, backache, back against the wall, back-alley, back anchor, back and fill, back-and-forth, back and to, back away, back bacon, backband
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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更新时间:2024/9/20 15:33:40