IdiomBody & Senses
English
Englishwatch one's back
Meaning: To stay alert to hidden threats.
Example: “In that office, you have to watch your back.”
Origin: The back is the side one cannot see, and so the side an attacker chooses. The phrase is common from the 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: guardarsi alle spalle Literally: To look behind oneself at the shoulders
More English idioms
- move with the times To keep up with change instead of clinging to old ways.
- beat the drum for something To promote something loudly and publicly.
- any old how Carelessly, with no attention to doing it properly.
- where the sun doesn't shine Somewhere hidden; also a rude way of naming the body.
- without a fight With no resistance at all.
- pave the way To prepare the ground so that something can happen later.
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