backhander
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L316630 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
noun
Etymology: From backhand + -er (patient suffix) or -er (agent noun suffix).
- A glass of wine given out of turn, the bottle having been handed backwards.
- A blow with the back of the hand.
- A bribe, a secret payment.
- A shot played backhand, a backhand stroke.
- A player who plays a backhand shot.
“She's a terrific backhander.”
- A surfer who approaches a swell with the wave behind them ("on their backhand") rather than facing the wave ("on their forehand").
“The morning brought an increased swell; long, perfect, down-the-line, 6-8' freight trains — a forehander's dream and a backhander's nightmare”