A phrase that people use all the time, that I absolutely can't stand and I point out the flaws in this phrase every time I hear, is, "behind your back."
"I can't believe she said that behind your back!"
Have you ever taken Anatomy? Or, perhaps looked in the mirror? Your back is obviously the part of your body on your backside from your shoulders down to the top of your butt. I can not stand it when people say,"She said that behind my back. I wish she would just say it to my face." Or any version of that sentence.
The keyword in the phrase that makes it absolutely ridiculous is behind. Now, when you use the word behind in reference to your body you are speaking about something that is no visible or not in front of you. But, if something is going on behind you then it would technically be called in FRONT of your back.
Behind your back indicates that the person is saying this stuff to your face. So, when someone says that wishes that they wouldn't say it behind their back and instead would appreciate them saying it to their face they are contradicting themselves. I have received many looks from people when they mention something that is going on behind their back and I just laugh. This is probably my biggest pet peeve with the English language.
Bottom line: I hate it when people say bad things about me when I am not around. (easy fix)
Max I love it when you say I love you john behind my back.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the approach of saying things in front of someone's back, also known as 'to their face.' It proves for a much more interesting conversation and it usually resolves the issue! ;)
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