Imagine that your boss has promised you a promotion to an exciting new job with a higher salary. You’re so excited that you tell a coworker about the boss’s promise before you sign the new contract. But your coworker goes behind your back and convinces your boss to give her the promotion instead! How would you react? In English, we use the expression to stab someone in the back when you betray someone’s trust or share some gossip about them. Have you ever been betrayed by a person that you thought was your friend?
Check out the video below for more on this useful idiom.
Transcript
Stab someone in the back? Literally? With a knife?
Not literally, but to stab someone in the back means to betray someone who trusted you.
Let’s look at a few example sentences:
- I thought he was my best friend, but he stabbed me in the back. He stole my girlfriend.
- You told the teacher I didn’t do my homework? I thought we were friends! How could you stab me in the back like that?
- David Cameron was elected on a promise to help working families, but he has stabbed them in the back. These social welfare cuts will hurt poor working families the most.
So, there we are: to stab someone in the back. Do you have a similar phrase in your language? If so, let us know in the comments section below
Practice
Can you think of a way to use today’s idiom in a sentence? Try to answer one or more of the questions below using what you’ve learned today.
- When you were a child, did anyone ever tell your parents or a teacher about something naughty you had done?
- Did a friend ever betray your confidence? Or did you ever betray the confidence of a friend?
- Do you know anyone whose partner was unfaithful in the relationship?
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