Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Show Some Backbone


The backbone is really just another word for spine. The form of this idiom is to "show" or "demonstrate" some backbone, meaning, to demonstrate to others that you are not a chicken (coward), but rather, a brave and vigorous person.


This version is considered less crude, and thus, is more often applied to the political arena in written English.

Example: "Activists expected the Obama Administration to show some backbone in dealing with Republican opposition, but many have been sorely disappointed in the administration's behavior."

This is not to pick sides; I am simply delivering context for the post that will follow this one. Stay tuned.

7 comments:

  1. Extending the treatment of backbone energetics in protein force fields: limitations of gas-phase quantum mechanics in reproducing protein conformational distributions in molecular dynamics simulations.


    Penegra 100

    ReplyDelete
  2. To show some backbone (or spine)
    The origins I believe come from military or convict history and are of men who were being flogged or whipped ,the whip or cat&nine tails would sometimes cut so deep that it would expose the spine and literally be showing your spine,and to withstand this punishment you had to show courage strength etc.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete