backseat driver

American  

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.

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backseat driver Idioms  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• backseat driving
  noun

Etymology

Origin of backseat driver

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

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

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2024

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

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2022

The woman’s face is not visible but it is clearly intended to be Thatcher, reflecting the perception of her as a backseat driver during her successor’s reign.

From The Guardian • Dec. 15, 2015

These fears came to him in sleep, but during his waking hours, he sought to master them by rejecting the backseat driver analogy in favor of a different mental model: skiing.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2015

Perhaps Maddie was more of a backseat driver than a stooge.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein