by/through the back door
by/through the back door
phrase
doorIf you say that someone gets or does something by the back door or through the back door, you are criticizing them for doing it secretly and unofficially.
[disapproval]The government would not allow anyone to sneak in by the back door and seize power by force.
They claim the Government is privatising dentistry through the back door.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
