Idiom
Back against the wall
If your back is against the wall, you are in a very difficult situation with few choices left, so you must fight hard or give in.
How people use it
People use it for teams facing elimination, businesses close to failure or anyone under heavy pressure (with our backs against the wall, we finally started working together). Common forms include have your back against the wall and with your back to the wall. It is neutral and often suggests that pressure brings out determination. When more than one person is involved, people say backs against the wall.
Also said: backs against the wall, back to the wall, with your back to the wall.
Examples
- Down three games to none, the team had its back against the wall.
- With her back against the wall, Priya worked through the weekend to save the project.
- Small farms have their backs to the wall after two years of drought.
Where it comes from
The image comes from fighting. A person forced back until they touch a wall cannot retreat any farther, but also cannot be attacked from behind, so they must stand and defend themselves. The idea has been used in English for centuries, and 'with your back to the wall' is the older form.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean if a company has its back against the wall?
Answer: It is in serious trouble with few options left. Back against the wall means facing a desperate situation with little room to escape.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: With rent due and no customers, the shop owners had their backs against the wall.. Desperate money trouble fits the idiom. Having plenty is the opposite, and resting while waiting is literal.
Similar idioms
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