Modul 4: Idiom 23: Stab in the back

Hi. Take a look at our illustration. What’s happening? Who’s the guy at the front? And who are those behind him? And what’re they doing with this guy? And why do the look so cheerful??? Let’s find out, shall we?

The man at the front is wearing a soldier’s uniform. He’s definitely a soldier. The men behind him are wearing some elegant clothing – suits, shirts and ties. Well, they’re politicians. And what exactly are they doing to the soldier?

They’re stabbing him in the back. They’re stabbing him in the back. Why? Because it’s of their interest (= this is better for them / this is what they want). That is why they look so cheerful. For them, sacrificing the soldier is not a problem.

Okay, so there’s a soldier who is being stabbed in the back by politicians who are celebrating.

The English idiom is “stab someone in the back” or just “a stab in the back”. The idiom refers to a bad act against a person that is trustful.

Now. If you trust someone, you believe that the other person is good, honest and helpful, and if you deeply trust someone, you’re trustful.

Trustful: you deeply believe that the other person doesn’t want to hurt you or that he wants to do only good things to you.

The idiom originates in Germany.

World War I ended with the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers.

The treaty was signed by German politicians, but the soldiers weren’t happy with it. They felt they’d been betrayed – stabbed in the back – by Jewish politicians. You see, the soldiers were trustful and believed in their war, but with the treaty signed, they felt as if the politicians had turned against them.

They blamed the Jews – it’s your fault! – which later Hitler used in his ideology in order to gain his power and manipulate big masses of people.

Good.

Now let’s look at some situations:

1. A friend of mine promised me that he would come and help me redecorate my kitchen. However, he didn’t turn up on the day! He didn’t even call me. It was a stab in the back.

2. Peter has done everything to please his girlfriend; still, she left him for that rich guy. With that, she just stabbed him in the back.

3. My brother was promised a promotion – you know, the boss told him that he would move up his carreer ladder. When the day of promotion came, however, my brother’s best friend was promoted. My brother rightfully (correctly) felt to be stabbed in the back.

4. Careful with the new colleague. If you don’t watch out, he will stab you in the back without a flinch.

A flinch is a sudden movement on the face caused by pain, anger, surprise, shock etc.

The new guy would stab you in the back without a flinch – without any hesitation or any bad feelings. He wouldn’t even flinch!

5. My younger daughter promised her younger sister to share the coloured pencils with her. You know, to sit down with her and let her use the pencils as long as she wants to draw. However, 10 minutes later, when my younger daughter asked her for the pencils, she simply said, “No.” It was a stab in her sister’s back.

Great.

And now let’s check your understanding through some concept questions:

1. I visited my brother the other day and asked him for some help. Unfortunately, he had no time to help me but told me to come back the next day. Of course, I was a bit disappointed.

But did he stab me in the back? No, he didn’t. He didn’t break a promise, and he didn’t become my enemy. He just had no free time.

2. I had an appointment with the mechanic. You know, a time to meet him. I took my car to the garage – to the car service – in time, but he asked me to come back 2 days later which I did.

However, then he asked me to come back a week later, and so I did. A week later, I found a massage on the garage door that he had gone on a 2-week holiday.

Did he stab me in the back? Yes, he did. I believed his promises 3 times, and he broke his promises every time.

3. A political party asks for some support (for some help) from a smaller party, and promises coalition in return. But later, they do not keep their promise and form a coalition with another small party. Have they stabbed the first party in the back? Absolutely.

The small party gave a hand to them – they helped them – for a promise. It was a nasty, ugly stab in their back.

4. A friend of mine had a problem with his washing machine, so he called a repair technician, who came to his house and repaired the machine.

Unfortunately, the machine broke down after the first washing. Did my friend rightfully feel like he had been stabbed in the back? No. It was an overreaction.

A repair that has gone wrong is not a stab in the back, only bad craftsmanship.

5. About a year ago, I ordered a high-tech monitor that would be helpful in my video work. Unfortunately, the monitor never arrived. I wrote numerous emails to the support centre asking for a full refund – you know, my money back – which they rejected.

Have they stabbed me in the back? Yes, they have.

Good. Now go practise. See you soon.