behind the scenes
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behind the scenes
Without being widely known or attracting attention. Referring to the private portion of a venue, operation, or production, as opposed to the public part. Let's have a round of applause for all the people who worked behind the scenes to give us such a great event! Sure, they seem happy together, but who knows what happens behind the scenes. I can't believe we're going to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the castle!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
behind the scenes
without receiving credit or fame; out of public view. (Referring originally to those who worked on a theatrical piece but do not appear on the stage.) The people who worked behind the scenes are the real heroes of this project. I worked behind the scenes in the play. We should thank the people who are behind the scenes of our success.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
behind the scenes
In secret or private, away from public view, as in His struggle for the top position took place strictly behind the scenes. This term alludes to the various activities that go on behind the curtain in theaters, out of the audience's view. [Late 1700s] Also see behind closed doors.
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.
behind the scenes
COMMON If someone does something behind the scenes, they do it in private or secretly, rather than publicly. Both countries have been working behind the scenes to try to free the hostages. The debate has been going on behind the scenes for months. Note: You can also use behind-the-scenes before a noun. The debate was postponed for a third time after another day of intensive behind-the-scenes negotiations. Note: This refers to the scenes or scenery used on the stage in the theatre, and was originally used to refer to those events in a play that took place off-stage.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
behind the scenes
in private; secretly.This expression alludes to the area out of sight of the public at the back of a theatre stage.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
behind the ˈscenes
(of discussions, arrangements, etc.) not seen by the public: The general public knows very little about what happens behind the scenes in politics. ♢ There was a lot of behind-the-scenes activity at the peace conference.This expression refers to the parts of the stage in a theatre which the audience cannot see.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
behind the scenes
1. Backstage.
2. Out of public view; in secret.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
behind the scenes
In private or in secret. The term comes from the theater, where, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, violent action such as a murder or execution generally took place backstage (behind the scenery). The English journalist Joseph Addison pointed out, in 1711, that this practice was followed particularly in the French theater. By the late eighteenth century the expression was used figuratively for any activity that took place out of the public eye.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer