backseat driver

noun

1. an automobile passenger who offers the driver unsolicited advice, warnings, criticism, etc., especially from the backseat.

2. any person who, by means of criticism, unsolicited advice, or the like, interferes in affairs that are not their own concern or responsibility.

Other Word Forms

• backseat driving noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of backseat driver¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

There is perhaps an argument Stokes should have stayed away to allow Pope to stand on his own two feet, even if Pope says Stokes won’t be a “backseat driver”.

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Asked if Mr Sunak, a former chancellor during the coronavirus pandemic, had been a "backseat driver" in preparing the Budget, his spokesman said: "No."

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There is always a risk for any prime minister that your predecessor ends up as a backseat driver.

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So, I’m going to be sitting in the back being the backseat driver.

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He says he will put members first, and won't be a "backseat driver" to the Labour leadership.

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