definitions

back-alley

[ bak-al-ee ]
/ ˈbækˈæl i /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR back-alley ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

dirty, unprepossessing, sordid, or clandestine: back-alley morals; back-alley political schemes.

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RELATED WORDS

roadway, lane, boulevard, court, thoroughfare, track, route, trail, pavement, place, road, avenue, highway, drive, passage, drag, terrace, way, turf, artery

Nearby words

back walkover, back water, back yard, back, sack, and crack, back-ache, back-alley, back-and-forth, back-breaking, back-check, back-cloth, back-end load

Origin of back-alley

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Idioms and Phrases with back alley

back alley

see under back street.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.