back street

¹

noun

1. a street apart from the main or business area of a town.

back-street

²

[bak-street]

adjective

1. taking place in secrecy and often illegally.

   back-street political maneuvering; back-street drug dealing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of back street¹

First recorded in 1630–40

Origin of back street²

First recorded in 1895–1900

Idioms and Phrases

Also, back alley. A less prominent or inferior location; also, a scene of clandestine or illegal dealings. For example, The highway department is very slow to clear snow from the back streets, or Before they were made legal, abortions were often performed in back alleys. Although back street literally means “one away from the main or business area of a town or city,” this term, from the early 1600s, became associated with underhanded dealings, and back alley, from the mid-1800s, is always used in this sense.

Related Words

• artery 
• asphalt 
• avenue 
• boulevard 
• byway 
• expressway 
• freeway 
• highway 
• lane 
• parking lot 
• path 
• pathway 
• pavement 
• route 
• street 
• subway 
• superhighway 
• terrace 
• thoroughfare 
• turnpike