A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

back drop • backdrop
back drop —a trampoline stunt in which from a bounce a
gymnast lands on his back and then rebounds to an erect po-
sition: When doing a back drop it is very easy for the recoil
of the bed to bring you back up to your feet.
backdrop —
1
. a cloth hung across the rear of a stage to serve
as scenic background: The vast shuffle area is a stage, with
theatrical lighting and backdrops rising as high as 85 feet.
2. the appropriate atmosphere for an event; the setting within
which smth. is viewed: Indochina is the backdrop for this
tensely written story.
See also: drop back / drop behind.
back-fire • fire back
back-fire —
1
. (of an engine) undergo a mistimed explosion
in the cylinder with a loud noise: Some engines have a nasty
tendency to back-fire. 2. (of firearms) explode: He was held li-
able for allowing an unqualified teacher to supervise a shooting
competition during which a rifle backfired and injured a stu-
dent. 3. light a fire ahead of an advancing prairie-fire in order
to stop it: Man learned to back-fire, so but very few settlers
lost their lives from prairie-fires. 4. (of a plan, etc.) have the
opposite effect to what was intended: One of McGraw’s
schemes back-fired on him.
fire back —
1
. return gunfire: Hanson switched the Schmeis -
ser regulator to single-shot and started to fire back. 2. = back-
fire 
1
: If engine fires back into carburetor, do a few smooth in-
jections with the primer pump.
back in the saddle • back on track
back in the saddle —back in a position of leadership or au-
thority: After having been out of office for two years, Governor
Jones won the election and was back in the saddle.
back on track —back to one’s normal activities: A view of
the San Francisco skyline, freshly showered and sparkling, un-
folded. I was back on track, both literally and figuratively.