Idioms

backward and forward

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backward(s) and forward(s)

Back and forth; moving in one direction and then the opposite. Can be used literally to refer to something or someone moving in such a way, or figuratively to refer to a situation in which no progress is made (e.g., an argument). I was pacing backwards and forwards in my room last night, worrying about this morning's exam. The two candidates debated the gun laws backward and forward, but neither could offer a productive solution in the end. The union and management are still going backward and forward in the contract negotiation.
See also: and
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

backward and forward

Also, backwards and forwards.
1. Same as back and forth.
2. Thoroughly, completely, as in He read the speech over and over, until he knew it backwards and forwards. [Late 1500s]
See also: and, backward, forward
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive
Swing the club the same distance backward and forward. Imagine yourself standing with your back next to a giant clock face.
Swing the club the same speed backward and forward.
Divot's golfing tips
For birds in the inconsistent group the relation between backward and forward training was reversed: The previous positive backward cue was converted to a negative forward cue, and the backward negative cue was converted to a positive forward cue.
It is possible that backward and forward conditioning effects coexist in a single procedure, and that effects of these procedures summate.
Appetitive backward conditioning in pigeons
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