See back and fill in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "backs and fills",
"tags": [
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"singular",
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]
},
{
"form": "backing and filling",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
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},
{
"form": "backed and filled",
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},
{
"form": "backed and filled",
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],
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"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
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"name": "Nautical",
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"text": "We brought the other end to the capstan, and hove in upon it until we came to the slip-rope, which we took to the windlass, and walked her up to her chain, the captain helping her by backing and filling the sails.",
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"ref": "1923, F. Hopkinson Smith, The Arm-chair at the Inn, Chapter 10:",
"text": "There were no bells in the engine hold and the signals were passed by word of mouth from the man at the wheel. Backing and filling by turns the desired position was finally secured and I heard the rasping roar of the chain cable as the descending anchor ran it out through the hawse hole.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind."
],
"id": "en-back_and_fill-en-verb-cFoIGHiD",
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"(nautical) To manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind."
],
"topics": [
"nautical",
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"ref": "1911, A. M. Chisholm, The Boss of Wind River:",
"text": "Joe found McDowell a vast improvement upon Hagel. Where the latter had backed and filled and referred to his directors, McDowell, to whom responsibility was as the breath of life, decided instantly.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take opposite positions alternately; to flip-flop"
],
"id": "en-back_and_fill-en-verb-738dvO~m",
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"(nautical)",
"(figurative) To take opposite positions alternately; to flip-flop"
],
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"word": "back and fill"
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},
{
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{
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{
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],
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"text": "We brought the other end to the capstan, and hove in upon it until we came to the slip-rope, which we took to the windlass, and walked her up to her chain, the captain helping her by backing and filling the sails.",
"type": "quote"
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"type": "quote"
}
],
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"To manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind."
],
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[
"nautical",
"nautical"
],
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"sail",
"sail"
],
[
"ship",
"ship"
]
],
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"(nautical) To manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind."
],
"topics": [
"nautical",
"transport"
]
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],
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"text": "Joe found McDowell a vast improvement upon Hagel. Where the latter had backed and filled and referred to his directors, McDowell, to whom responsibility was as the breath of life, decided instantly.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take opposite positions alternately; to flip-flop"
],
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[
"nautical",
"nautical"
],
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]
],
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"(nautical)",
"(figurative) To take opposite positions alternately; to flip-flop"
],
"tags": [
"figuratively"
],
"topics": [
"nautical",
"transport"
]
}
],
"word": "back and fill"
}
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-08-07 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-08-02 using wiktextract (8b3c49c and 3c020d2). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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