Backspace
to shift the carriage or typing element of a typewriter one space backward by depressing a special key.
Computers. to move the cursor, printhead, etc., toward the beginning of the data.
the space made by backspacing.
Also called backspacer, backspace key. the labeled key on a typewriter or computer keyboard used for backspacing.
verb
to move a (typewriter carriage) backwards
noun
a typewriter key that effects such a movement
adj.
also back-space, 1899, in reference to keyboarding, from back (adv.) + space.
We have had the pleasure of examining one of the 1899 model Hammond typewriters, with the new back-space key. This new feature is certainly an improvement in the machine. [“The Phonetic Journal,” March 11, 1899]
character
(BS) ASCII code 8, Control-H. The control character that should cause most output devices to move their current output position back to the previous character so that the next character output will replace (or overprint) it. Inputting a backspace (typically by pressing the backspace key) causes many systems to delete the character before the input cursor, though others use delete for this.
See twirling baton for an imaginitive use of backspace.
(2003-10-25)
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reverse rotation of a ball causing it to bounce or roll backward or stop short. noun (sport) a backward spinning motion imparted to a ball to reduce its speed at impact, as by hitting it with a downward or undercutting motion Compare topspin
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paneling, as that attached to the back of a stovetop or to the wall behind a kitchen countertop, to protect against splashed liquids.
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a knot for finishing a rope end neatly, beginning with a crown and proceeding in a series of tucks, each strand over the first adjoining strand and under the next, the strands being split in half at each tuck. to make a backsplice in (a rope end).
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to attempt to discredit (a person) by underhanded means, as innuendo, accusation, or the like. Contemporary Examples They bicker and backstab and yell—and there is quite a bit of yelling. Why ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Is Funny: An Examination of Scenes, Stripped of Context Caitlin Dickson November 9, 2013
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an obsolete instrument for determining the altitude of the sun by facing away from the sun, sighting upon the horizon, adjusting a cursor until its shadow falls upon the sight through which the horizon appears, and measuring the resulting arc.