backlog
A large log to burn at the back of a fire.
Noun
- A large log to burn at the back of a fire.
- While she was preparing my breakfast, I chopped off a backlog and put it on the fire,[…] - 1830, Joseph Plumb Martin, “Ch. V”, in A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier:
- He threw it on the fire for a back-log, first scraping the live coals and ashes to a heap for his damper. - 1902, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Bush Studies (Portable Australian Authors:...
- A reserve source or supply.
- An accumulation or buildup, especially of unfilled orders, unconsumed products or unfinished work.
- He went to work on Saturday to try to work through the backlog of papers on his desk.
- Kyle purchased a new one despite having a backlog of video games that he hasn't played.
- With much of the building unrenovated since it was built in the 19th century, there is a significant backlog of repairs estimated to be in excess of £1bn. - 2020 November 18, Mike Brown tells Paul Stephen, “I wasn't...
- A log containing text previously read, as in text-based video games or chat rooms.
Origin
From back + log. 1680s; originally a large log at the back of a fire. Figurative sense from 1880s, meaning "something stored up for later use". Possibly influenced by logbook as well.
Forms
Verb
- To acquire something as a backlog, or to become a backlog