English
Etymology
nautical a square-rigged ship is taken aback when the wind blows on the front of the sails
Verb
to take aback
#To surprise or shock; to discomfit.
#:I was rather taken aback by his angry reply.
#:The bad news took us aback.
#(nautical) (usually passive) Of a ship: to catch it with the sails aback suddenly.
Usage notes
Most commonly found in the passive form.
The object may appear before or after the particle. If the object is a pronoun, then it must be before the particle.
Translations
trans-top|to surprise or shock
Croatian: iznenaditi, osupnuti, zapanjiti, preneraziti
trans-bottom
Finnish: ällistyttää, järkyttää
trans-top|to catch with sails aback
Finnish: joutua vastatuuli|vastatuuleen
trans-bottom
Category:English phrasal verbs
fr:take aback
| 