back talk
back talk — noun
1. Rude or disrespectful remarks that someone makes in reply to a parent, teacher,
Rude or disrespectful remarks that someone makes in reply to a parent, teacher, boss, or other person in a position of authority, instead of showing proper respect or obeying.
Mrs. Chen warned her son that back talk would cost him his video game privileges.
collocation: give someone back talk / back talk + authority
The manager sent the employee home for giving her back talk at the front desk.
collocation: give someone back talk
The librarian told the student that back talk was not acceptable in the reading room.
The nurse told the boy to sit still, but his back talk meant a time-out.
- respect
the polite and obedient attitude that is the opposite of back talk
文法句型
back talk (no article)
give someone back talk
用法筆記
This sense is most common with authority figures such as parents, teachers, and supervisors. The verb most often used with this noun is give — give someone back talk.
常見錯誤
2. Insolent, sarcastic, or argumentative responses that challenge or contradict wha
Insolent, sarcastic, or argumentative responses that challenge or contradict what someone has just said, regardless of whether the addressee is an authority figure.
The referee showed the player a yellow card for back talk delaying the match.
back talk + sports / disciplinary context
Olga's supervisor told her to stop the back talk and fix the error in the report.
collocation: stop the back talk
At dinner, the siblings were told to stop the back talk and eat their food.
When Principal Chen asked Esteban why he was late, his back talk earned him a week of detention.
文法句型
back talk (no article)
stop the back talk
用法筆記
In this sense the authority relationship is not required — back talk can occur between peers, such as coworkers or siblings. The focus is on the tone (impudent, argumentative) rather than on disobedience.