backstairs

American  

[bak-stairz] / ˈbækˈstɛərz /

Or backstair

adjective

1. associated or originating with household servants.

   Weak tea and burnt toast evidenced the start of a backstairs revolt.

2. secret, underhanded, or scandalous.

   backstairs gossip.

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backstairs British  

/ ˈbækˈstɛəz /

plural noun

1. a secondary staircase in a house, esp one originally for the use of servants

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adjective

1. underhand

   backstairs gossip

Etymology

Origin of backstairs

First recorded in 1635–45; adjective use of back stairs

Example Sentences

Up the backstairs, buzzed in by a security guard, through the parking lot, into an elevator, through a hallway.

From New York Times

Instead, his columns were narratives of creation, abandonment and restoration that lovingly highlighted quirky design and backstairs gossip from decades past.

From New York Times

Next to it was his study, where he wrote by the light of a single candle and received the “common” people through the backstairs, which he also used to come and go unnoticed.

From New York Times

“Zack and I were kind of dancing around all night,” Murphy said, neglecting to add that he ended that dance by shoving the All-Star pitcher down the backstairs.

From New York Times

I pushed through the two fire doors that lead to the service hallway and the backstairs, where I took a seat just outside the kitchen door.

From The New Yorker

Related Words

• classified
• confidential
• covert
• furtive
• hush-hush
• restricted
• secretive
• surreptitious