back-alley

[ bak-al-ee ]

adjective

1. dirty, unprepossessing, sordid, or clandestine:

   back-alley morals; back-alley political schemes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of back-alley¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Idioms and Phrases

see under back street .

Example Sentences

Shawn Younker, incarcerated in Pennsylvania, writes, “We might as well be rummaging the dusty old leftovers in some thrift store or back alley dumpster.”

From Slate

Dave Creamer: "We were setting off at four o'clock picketing, trying to get through roadblocks… We went through every back alley you could think of, up farmers' fields, down through woods - everything - just to get to that picket line. Sometimes we got through, sometimes we didn't. It was quite an adventure at first. I was 20-odd-year-old, it was exciting. The adventure became a bit of a nightmare later on."

From BBC

Likely caused by a warming fire in the back alley in the early hours of Jan. 12, the flames quickly made their way to the mezzanine and the front space, charring the rug, melting light fixtures and licking at the edges of exposed paper on the way.

From Seattle Times

The dark clinic in a back alley was terrifying, she said.

From Los Angeles Times

The students had planned to meet that day after classes in a back alley less than 300 feet from the campus, he said.

From New York Times

Related Words

• avenue
• boulevard
• court
• highway
• lane
• pavement
• place
• road
• roadway
• route
• thoroughfare
• track
• trail