as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
an influential Washington lobbyist who has been involved in a number of backstairs deals to limit regulation of financial institutions
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Recent Examples of backstairs
And in North Carolina, a boyish trial lawyer with jury-pleasing charm (John Edwards) knocked off Lauch Faircloth, a GOP senator who played a backstairs role in getting Kenneth Starr appointed as independent counsel.
—
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstairs
Adjective
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The criminal charges also allege Navarro and Worden ensured that no invoice related to the clandestine construction surpassed $3,000, a threshold that would have required further authorization from Caltrain and TransAmerica Services Inc., the company that employed Worden.—
Robert Salonga,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
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Information in federal systems includes Treasury payments that could be used to figure out the details of intelligence programs or health and personnel records that could reveal the identities of agents or the responsibilities of clandestine officers.—
DAVID KLEPPER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Based on an incident that had happened 10 years earlier, the book chronicles the harrowing story of two undercover LAPD patrol officers who are kidnapped during a routine traffic stop that goes horribly wrong.—
Chris Koseluk,
The Hollywood Reporter,
28 Feb. 2025
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Russo turned stool pigeon within a month of his November 2017 arrest for selling a kilo of cocaine to an undercover agent.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Josef and Rosemarie raised three of Elisabeth's children, who Josef pretended Elisabeth left on their doorstep, while Elisabeth was forced to raise three of her children in a locked underground compound without windows.—
Jessica Sager,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
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His underground films and early experimental documentaries took cues from Dada and Surrealism to show New York not as a glamorous city of jewels, but rather a diverse, complex city with many different viewpoints.—
Matt Shaw,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto and Isabella Rossellini star in Conclave in which Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
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In covert gatherings across California, raw goat or cow milk is mixed with cane alcohol and sugars to make pajaretes.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This private survey reading on Monday followed the official manufacturing PMI released on Saturday, which also showed that China’s February factory activity expanded at its fastest pace since November.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2025
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There are two infinity pools, a spa in the forest, and accommodations with private balconies overlooking the Andaman Sea.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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