backseat driver
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noun
an automobile passenger who offers the driver unsolicited advice, warnings, criticism, etc., especially from the backseat.
any person who, by means of criticism, unsolicited advice, or the like, interferes in affairs that are not their own concern or responsibility.
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Origin of backseat driver
First recorded in 1925–30
OTHER WORDS FROM backseat driver
backseat driving, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for backseat driver
back-seat driver
noun informal
a passenger in a car who offers unwanted advice to the driver
a person who offers advice on or tries to direct matters that are not his or her concern
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with backseat driver
backseat driver
A passenger who gives unwanted and/or unneeded directions to the driver; also, a person who interferes in affairs without having knowledge, responsibility, or authority for doing so. For example, Aunt Mary drives us all crazy with her instructions; she's an incurable backseat driver. This term originated in the United States in the 1920s, when it was first used for a passenger legitimately directing a chauffeur, and it was quickly transferred to figurative use. Also see the synonym Monday-morning quarterback and the antonym take a back seat.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.