{"id":6123,"date":"2022-08-30T20:28:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T20:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=6123"},"modified":"2022-08-30T20:28:50","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T20:28:50","slug":"stabbed-in-the-back-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/stabbed-in-the-back-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Stabbed in the Back \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did a friend betray you? You could say they \u2018<strong><em>stabbed you in the back<\/em><\/strong>.\u2019 This post unpacks the meaning and origin of the expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p>The expression <em>\u2018stabbed in the back\u2019<\/em> means that someone close to you betrayed you. It refers to someone you know being disloyal to you, leading you into a bad situation where they benefit at your expense.<\/p>\n<p>If someone <em>stabs you in the back,<\/em> they take an extreme action of betrayal against you. Typically, someone you know or someone close to you is responsible for the betrayal. Being stabbed in the back can refer to an event or unfaithful action by someone you know, damaging your reputation, finances, or well-being.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI was hoping the boss was going to promote me this week. But Jim stabbed me in the back and told me I\u2019m always late for work. So, he got the promotion instead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSheila said she wanted to help me with decorating my home. She ended up having an affair with my husband. She really stabbed me in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Have you ever been stabbed in the back by a good friend? It happens more often than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJason really stabbed me in the back. He ended up importing my products directly from the supplier and selling them himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-6124\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back-270x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"247\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back-270x300.jpg 270w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back.jpg 427w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-6125\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back2-300x275.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back2-300x275.jpg 300w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/stabbed-in-the-back2.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \u2018stabbed in the back\u2019 originates from Germany in the wake of the First World War. The first recorded use of the phrase comes from a report published in December 1918. The \u2018Neue Z\u00fcricher Zeitung\u2019 report features the use of the expression as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs far as the German army is concerned, the general view is summarized in these words: It was stab-in-the-back by the civilian population.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The German army believed that the politicians who signed \u2018The Treaty of Versailles\u2019 betrayed them, even though they were hopelessly outnumbered. Still, the Germans blamed the Jewish politicians for the loss of the war, and it was a talking point raised by Hitler as he came to power some ten years later.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Stab someone in the back - Idioms with Izz\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/23Cl_rscrU0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Stabbed in the Back<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Thrown under the bus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Stabbed in the Back<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Honest and upfront.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Stabbed in the back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Stabbed in the Back Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase doesn't refer to the action of stabbing someone in the back with a knife. It refers to betrayal. Using the expression to describe violence and murder is incorrect.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Stabbed in the Back<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the phrase 'stabbed in the back' to describe someone you know working against you. The term suits social and professional use. You can use it at the office to explain how a colleague stabbed you in the back for promotion by telling the boss about you being late to work. Use it to describe how a friend went behind your back to make a decision that adversely affects your life.<\/p>\n<p>'Stabbed in the back' means that someone close to you unexpectedly betrays you. You'll use it when referring to people you know and how they decided to 'throw you under the bus' so they can experience some advantage in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Did a friend betray you? You could say they \u2018stabbed you in the back.\u2019 This post unpacks the meaning and origin of the expression. Meaning The expression \u2018stabbed in the back\u2019 means that someone close to you betrayed you. It refers to someone you know being disloyal to you, leading you into a bad situation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6123"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8252,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions\/8252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}