за спиной

• ЗА СПИНОЙ (-ю)

[PrepP; these forms only]

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1. за спиной (чьей, у кого) [adv or subj-compl with copula (subj: concr or abstr)]

⇒ (in refer, to spatial relations, usu. distance covered during a trip) sth. is already past:

- behind s.o.

     ♦ К вечеру большая часть пути осталась у нас за спиной. By evening the greater part of the journey was behind us.

2. за спиной (чьей, кого, у кого) [adv or subj-compl with copula (subj: usu. abstr)]

⇒ sth. is part of a person's past experience:

- X остался у Y-а за спиной{{}}≈ X is behind Y;

- Y has X behind him;

- Y has been through X;

- Y has X under Y's belt.

     ♦ Он завидовал им [бойцам, вырвавшимся из вражеского окружения,] и готов был, кажется, принять на себя даже некоторую их небезупречность, чтоб только знать, что за его спиной тоже - бои, обстрелы, переправы (Солженицын 12). He envied them [soldiers who had escaped from enemy encirclement] and would have been prepared to share their somewhat tarnished reputation if only he could say that he had been through the same fighting, shellfire, and river crossings that they had (12a).

3. жить, сидеть и т.п. за спиной чьей, (у) кого coll, often disapprov [adv or subj-compl with copula (subj: human)]

⇒ one is under s.o.'s care, protection:

- X живёт - у Y-a ≈ X depends on Y for support;

- X is Y's dependent;

- X has Y to take care of X;

- X lives off Y;

|| X живёт за чужой спиной{{}}≈ X has someone else to take care of him;

- X lives off someone else.

4. за спиной чьей, (у) кого disapprov [adv]

⇒ without s.o.'s knowledge, secretly:

- behind s.o.'s back.

     ♦ Кукуша складывала в папку какие-то бумаги и удалялась, а кто и что судачил там за спиной, её не очень-то волновало (Войнович 6). Kukusha would throw some papers into a folder and leave. What people said behind her back did not greatly concern her (6a).