backbench

== English == === Alternative forms === back bench back-bench === Etymology === From back +‎ bench. === Adjective === backbench (not comparable) relating to the back benches in parliament Pertaining to the preparation of a donor organ prior to transplantation. Secondary or inactive. === Noun === backbench (plural backbenches) A bench at the back of a room or seating area. (politics, UK, New Zealand, often attributive) In a house of legislature following the model of the Westminster system (such as the UK House of Commons), any bench behind either of the front benches and occupied by members of each party group who are not party leaders, cabinet ministers, holders of offices such as the whips, etc. His spacious quarters indicate his transition from backbench upstart to established member of the governing team. 2009, John Coakley, Michael Gallagher, Politics in the Republic of Ireland, page 301, In situations of low ministerial turnover and increased professionalisation of politics, with most TDs regarding politics as a career, Taoisigh could find that impatience on the backbenches leads to calls for leadership turnover to effect promotions. The back row of a classroom. The back pew of a church. A back bench in a courtroom. The back seat of an automobile, van, or bus. A position of secondary importance. (newspaper, publishing) A group of top-level journalists who jointly review submissions and decide on the layout and emphasis of the newspaper. ==== Related terms ==== backbencher === References === “backbench”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.