backpedal

Etymology

back + pedal

verb

  1. (intransitive) To pedal backwards on a bicycle.
    The road was on a hill and the boy was going down the slope, and as he flashed by he started backpedalling very quickly so that the free-wheeling mechanism of his bike made a loud whirring sound. 1984, Roald Dahl, Boy
  2. (intransitive) To step backwards.
    The player had to backpedal before catching the ball.
  3. (intransitive, idiomatic) To distance oneself from an earlier claim or statement; back off from an idea.
    Though initially adopting a hard-line stance, the politician soon started to backpedal.

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