behind someone's back

Meaning: (idiomatic)Without somebody's knowledge;secretly.The employees talked about their bossbehind his back.You will lose good karma if you say bad thingsbehind people's backs.1908, W[illiam]B[lair]M[orton]Ferguson, chapter II, inZollenstein, New York, N.Y.:D. Appleton & Company,→OCLC,page25:I had never defrauded a man of a farthing, nor called him knavebehind his back. But now the last rag that covered my nakedness had been torn from me. I was branded a blackleg, card-sharper, and murderer.1974, Tunji Oyelana, “Which Way Africa”:Giant machines, precision tools, monster missiles, and all such [they] did lack.Indeed, the last industrial revolution happenedbehind their back.1998,Violent Femmes, “Kiss Off”, inViolent Femmes:You can all just kiss off into the air /Behind my backI can see them stare / They'll hurt me bad, but I won't mind / They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time

Examples:

EN: I'm not like that atrophied babbler to talk around behind someone's back.
ES: No soy como esa atrofiada chismosa para hablar a las espaldas.
EN: Well, you know, I don't like to go behind someone's back.
ES: Bueno, sabe, no me gusta hacer cosas a las espaldas de alguien.
EN: Yeah. lt's when you plot to do something behind someone's back.
ES: Sí. Planear hacer algo a las espaldas de alguien.
EN: It's funny how that happens when you go behind someone's back.
ES: Es curioso que eso suceda cuando traicionas a alguien.
EN: You ever do something behind someone's back because you had to?
ES: ¿Alguna vez has echo algo a espaldas de alguien porque lo tenías que hacer?
EN: You ever do something behind someone's back Because you had to?
ES: ¿Alguna vez hiciste algo a espaldas de alguien porque tenías que hacerlo?
EN: Going behind someone's back doesn't seem like something you have a problem with.
ES: Ir a espaldas de alguien no parece algo con lo que tengas problemas.
EN: I know, imagine that, a politician going behind someone's back.
ES: Lo sé, imagínate esto, un político yendo tras las espaldas de alguien.
EN: Remember some windows need washing behind someone's back, have you?
ES: ¿Recordaste que algunas ventanas necesitan lavarse a espaldas de alguien, ¿verdad?
EN: I've laughed with someone cried behind someone's back.
ES: Me he reido con alguien y he gritado detrás de alguien.
EN: It's not nice to talk behind someone's back.
ES: No está bien hablar de alguien a sus espaldas.
EN: That means you don't want this visit on the record, which means you're probably going behind someone's back.
ES: Lo cual quiere decir que no quieres que quede constancia de esta visita, lo cual significa que probablemente estés actuando a espaldas de alguien.
EN: Because you made a promise, snuck behind someone's back to break it, and when confronted with that fact, you're denying all responsibility.
ES: Porque hiciste una promesa, te escondiste de alguien para romperla y cuando te enfrentas con el hecho, niegas toda responsabilidad.
EN: But you should never forge someone's signature or do anything behind someone's back.
ES: Pero nunca debes falsificar firmas ni hacer nada a espaldas de otros.
EN: You contribute ugliness to the world when you talk behind someone's back.
ES: Contribuyes a la fealdad en el mundo cuando hablas a espaldas de alguien.

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