backstory

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See also: back-story and back story

English

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WOTD – 16 January 2024

Etymology

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From back- (prefix meaning ‘in, into, or towards the past’) +‎ story.[1][2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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backstory (plural backstories)

  1. The previous experiences and life of a person, specifically (narratology, especially in film, television) a character in a dramatic work.
    Synonym: background story
    Coordinate term: exposition
    What’s the backstory of our new colleague?
    • 2004 January 15, Kelly Kleiman, “Her side of the story [review of Ophelia by Bryony Lavery, performed by the Camenae Ensemble Theatre Company]”, in Chicago Reader‎[1], Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Reader, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-05-26:
      These backstories cast the characters' behavior in a new light: of course Gertrude would promptly marry the man who saved her from abuse; of course Ophelia would be desperate and indiscreet in seeking Hamlet's love.
    • 2005 July 15, A[nthony] O[liver] Scott, “Looking for the candy, finding a back story [review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)]”, in The New York Times‎[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-10-08:
      Inexplicably, and at great risk to the integrity of the movie, the filmmakers have burdened him with a psychological back story pulled out of a folder in some studio filing cabinet. Why does [Willy] Wonka spend his days confecting sweets?
    • 2013 March 1, Kaz [i.e., Kazimieras Gediminas Prapuolenis], Kim Roberson, Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft, John Mathot, “Sidetracked”, in Phineas and Ferb, season 4, episode 7, spoken by Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire):
      Agent Lyla: Enough back story! / Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Actually, that's not, uh … that's not really a back story, it's just expositional flashback. It doesn't, uh, have any childhood trauma, it's doesn't really inform who he is, it's not … it's just flashback. There's a difference. It's subtle, but there's a difference.
    • 2017 December 27, “Editorial: The Guardian view on Prince Harry: the monarchy’s best insurance policy”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[3], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-04-29:
      Prince Harry may yet turn out to be the crown’s best insurance policy. By marrying Meghan Markle, he is linking royalty with a 21st-century celebrity who has a backstory that many people in Britain can identify with.
  2. (chiefly espionage, law enforcement) A fictitious account of a person's history designed to conceal their actual history and motives.
    Synonym: cover story
  3. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)(film, television) A prequel.

Alternative forms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ “back story, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, November 2023.
  2. ^ “backstory, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present, reproduced from Stuart Berg Flexner, editor in chief, Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Random House, 1993, →ISBN.

Further reading

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