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back lane
DCHP-2 (May 2016)
n.
a lane that runs behind the buildings of a street; back alley.
Type: 2. Preservation — Back lane appears to be a preservation from BrE, and appears in the London Times as early as 1785 (see first quotation). Back lane is used in many former British colonies, with a much lower frequency in the US (see Chart 1).
See also COD-2, which lists the term as a "Cdn & Brit." variant of "N. Amer." back alley, OED-3, s.v. "back adj." (I.1.c), with a London Times quotation from 1842 in that particular meaning.
See also COD-2, which lists the term as a "Cdn & Brit." variant of "N. Amer." back alley, OED-3, s.v. "back adj." (I.1.c), with a London Times quotation from 1842 in that particular meaning.
Quotations
1785
[The young lady unguardedly went unattended by any other perfon; he inveigled her into a back lane, and there by threats of murder [...]]
1849
In a dirty back lane of the same city, redolent of the odors exhaled from salt fish, train oil, and the multifarious and unsavory commodities, denominated marine stores, and not far from the wharves, is a range of dingy-looking warehouses, with very large iron shutters, and very small and very dirty windows.
1875
[...] all houses in the city should be furnished with outbuildings and have access to a back lane [...]
1906
Then we got into what we thought must be a back lane, but we went from one street to another and all were the same, paved with great slabs of rock and so narrow that you could barely see the sky overhead, and everyone had to get out of our way.
1924
Const. Jones on Monday accosted two hard looking youths who were wandering round the back lane of 24th Street, and advised them to get out of town.
1947
Vescio told of taking the boy down a back lane toward a house under construction.
1962
To make the fullest use of the advantages of this lovely three bedroom home, the building site should have a fairly sharp slope to the rear with a back lane so that the carport roof can be used for a deck.
1984
Babe contends that the description of the basement hallway and the back lane, the car lot where the clothing was tossed and the area where a wallet was thrown could only be made with such accuracy by someone who had been there.
2000
"We have as many as 500 people a day drop by, most of them collect little more than $5 but they work long and hard for that money. I know people often get annoyed when they are awakened by the sound of a binner pushing a noisy cart down their back lane but they do a great deal of good . . . their motives may be making money but they also do a good environmental clean-up job."
References
- COD-2
- OED-3
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