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back sb. (1 said orig. of a sword which is all steel from edge to back and not merely edged with steel; 3 was common 1560-1660)
1. “metal . . . steel to the very back,” sound all through Tit. IV. iii. 47.
2. rear of an armed force 2H4 I. iii. 79.
3. support, backing Ham. IV. vii. 153 “this project Should have a back or second.”
A Shakespeare Glossary. C. T. Onions. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1911.

This text was converted to electronic form by professional data entry and has been proofread to a high level of accuracy.

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  • Cross-references in text-specific dictionaries from this page (1):
    • William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, 4.7
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