back burner

noun

a condition of low priority or temporary deferment (usually used in the phrase on the back burner): Put other issues on the back burner until after the election.

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Origin of back burner

First recorded in 1945–50; from the custom in cooking of placing pots not requiring immediate attention toward the rear of the stove

Words nearby back burner

back away, back bacon, back bay, back bench, back boiler, back burner, back burner, on a, back catalogue, back channel, back clearance, back clipping
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for backburner

back burner

noun

on the back burner put aside for the time being, as a subject that is not of immediate concern but that may be activated later; postponed
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