backbench — ack bench (b[a^]k b[e^]nch), n. 1. any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons of Great Britain. [WordNet 1.5] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
backbench — back|bench [ˌbækˈbentʃ] adj [only before noun] BrE a backbench Member of Parliament is an ordinary British Member of Parliament who does not have an important official position ▪ He has the support of a lot of backbench MPs. ▪ a backbench revolt … Dictionary of contemporary English
backbench — [[t]bæ̱kbentʃ[/t]] ADJ: ADJ n A backbench MP is a Member of Parliament who is not a minister and who does not hold an official position in his or her political party. [BRIT, AUSTRALIAN] ...the Conservative backbench MP Sir Teddy Taylor... Such a… … English dictionary
backbench — UK [ˌbækˈbentʃ] / US [bækˈbentʃ] / US [ˈbækˌbentʃ] noun [countable] Word forms backbench : singular backbench plural backbenches British one of the seats in the British Parliament where ordinary Members of Parliament sit. The leading members of… … English dictionary
backbench — /ˈbækbɛntʃ / (say bakbench) noun Also, back bench. 1. the non office holding parliamentary members of a political party who by tradition occupy the seats at the back of the legislature, behind the front benches where the ministers and members of… …
backbench — back|bench [ bæk bentʃ, bæk,bentʃ ] noun count BRITISH one of the seats in the British Parliament where ordinary Members of Parliament sit. The leading members of each party sit on the front bench: a backbench Member of Parliament … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Backbench (disambiguation) — Backbench may have multiple meanings:* For an elected politician in a parliamentary system who is not a cabinet member, see Backbencher. * For the Canadian political comic strip, see Backbench (comic strip) … Wikipedia
Backbench (comic strip) — Backbench is a comic strip appearing in The Globe and Mail . The strip is written and drawn by Graham Harrop. It consists of multiple and single panel jokes, generally drawn from and satirizing Canadian politics.Graham Harrop also has an… … Wikipedia
backbench — noun Usage: often attributive Date: 1855 a bench in a British legislature (as the House of Commons) occupied by rank and file members compare front bench • backbencher noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
backbench — adjective Of a Member of Parliament, who sits on the backbenches, that is, who is not in the Cabinet and so has a minor role in the government. See Also: backbencher, backbenches … Wiktionary