Back-Seat Driver

BACK-SEAT DRIVER

Welcome to English in a Minute!

Here is a phrase that is not praise:

BACK-SEAT DRIVER

Listen to these two people talk about driving:

Adam’s mother made him so nervous every time he took her to the store.

You are not kidding!

She would tell him where to turn, how fast to go , and which road to take.

She was such a “ back-seat driver!”

Where does this phrase come from?

When cars were first invented, rich owners would often ride in the back seat.

They would tell their drivers where to go and how to drive.

Now, when someone is a “back-seat driver”, he is interfering, and it is considered to be bad behavior.

BACK-SEAT DRIVER

And that’s “English in a Minute!”