back and fill

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back and fill

Fig. to act indecisively; to change one's direction repeatedly; to reverse one's course. (Originally nautical, referring to trimming the sails so as to alternately fill them with wind and release the wind, in order to maneuver in a narrow space.) The president spent most of his speech backing and filling on the question of taxation. The other candidate was backing and filling on every issue, depending on whom she was addressing.

See also: and, back, fill

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I'll take 'em on the Martha,' says she, 'and you can go back and fill up again. Adventure by London, Jack View in context That Master Kirby is no first-rate in a boat; but he’ll tack a cart among the stumps, all the same as a Lon’on pilot will back and fill, through the colliers in the Pool. The Pioneers by Cooper, James Fenimore View in context Against that peg the gondolier takes a purchase with his oar, changing it at intervals to the other side of the peg or dropping it into another of the crooks, as the steering of the craft may demand--and how in the world he can back and fill, shoot straight ahead, or flirt suddenly around a corner, and make the oar stay in those insignificant notches, is a problem to me and a never diminishing matter of interest. The Innocents Abroad by Twain, Mark View in context			average out average out to average up avert from avoid avoid like the plague awake awake from awake to award award to away away from desk away from it all awe awkward awkward as a cow on a crutch awkwardness axe babe babe in arms babe in the woods baby babysit for bach back and fill back and forth back away back East back in circulation back in harness back in the game back in the saddle back into a corner back of the beyond back on feet back on track back oneself into a corner back the wrong horse back to basics back to earth back to square one back to the drawing board back to the salt mines back-order backfire on backhanded backhanded compliment backing and filling backroom backseat			bacitracin bacitracin Bacitracin Neomycin Polymixin Bacitracin neomycin polymyxin Bacitracin neomycin polymyxin Bacitracin zinc Bacitracin zinc Bacitracin zinc Bacitracin zinc Bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin Bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin BACJ BACJRR back back back back back back back Back & Rosta Information Security Consulting Ltd Back (disambiguation) Back (disambiguation) Back (disambiguation) Back (disambiguation) Back 2 Life BACK 40 back addition Back Again Back Again back and fill back and forth back and forth Back and Forth Error Compensation and Correction Back arc back arch back arched upwards back arched upwards back arched upwards back arched upwards Back At Computer Keyboard Back At Keyboard Back at the Barnyard Back At the Board back away back away back away back away back away back away back away from back azimuth Back bacon Back bacon back balance Back Bay Back Bay Architectural Commission Back Bay Association Back Bay Design Consultants Back Bay Financial Group Back Bay Guitar Trio

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