a stab in the back
Meaning: A betrayal by someone one trusted.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Hiring my rival without telling me was a stab in the back.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: An attack from behind by a supposed friend. The phrase became notorious in the German "stab-in-the-back" myth after the First World War, but the image is much older.
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: calcio dell'asino — literally: kick of the donkey
- French: Un coup de Trafalgar — literally: A Trafalgar blow
More idioms — Body & Senses
- freeze one's butt off — To be extremely cold.
- have a nerve — To be rude or bold in a way that shocks others.
- get on someone's nerves — To annoy someone.
- knock someone's socks off — To impress or amaze someone greatly.
- throw one's weight around — To use one's power or importance in an overbearing way.
- swap spit — To kiss passionately (slang).
More English idioms
- the light at the end of the tunnel — A sign that a long, difficult period is ending.
- at full tilt — At full speed or with full force.
- my bad — My mistake; sorry.
- drive someone up the wall — To annoy someone intensely.
- be in clover — To live in comfort and luxury.
- right up one's alley — Exactly suited to someone's interests or skills.
From our proverbs
- He that hath a trade hath an estate. — A skilled profession provides reliable income and security equivalent to owning property…
- Trade knows neither friends nor kindred. — Business transactions dissolve personal loyalties; profit motives override familial bonds…
- Trade is the mother of money. — Commercial exchange and regular transactions naturally generate wealth through profit acc…