Back Burner | Meaning & Examples
Putting something on the back burner means that you are giving it a lower priority. It is an idiom that comes from the world of cooking; when a pot or pan is put on a burner at the back of a stove, it’s because it requires less attention and will remain there until it’s cooked.
As an intern, Hal had been tasked with looking through all the projects that had been put on the back burner to see if any of them needed looking at more urgently.
Although Jane had submitted her complaint to the council, she couldn’t help but feel that it had been put on the back burner by councilors looking for more glamorous projects.
If you think back burner isn’t quite the right phrase, you can use the free QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool to find new ways of expressing your meaning.
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Back burner meaning
In a kitchen, especially a busy commercial one, the urgent tasks of frying, sauteing, and sauce-making take place on the front burners, where the chef has easy access to give them the attention they need. Other tasks are relegated to the back burner. They are not urgent and don’t need as much attention.
So, any project or subject you consider to be of low priority or requiring little input from you or others can be described as being on the back burner.
Some people like to be the center of attention. Others like to be on the back burner, just quietly getting on with their thing, not getting noticed.
It’s important to remember that even a project that’s on the back burner will need looking at occasionally; it will spoil if it boils dry or turns to mush.
Frequently asked questions about back burner
- What does to backburner something mean?
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When you backburner something, you make it a lower priority. It comes from the idiom “put something on the back burner.”
This comes from the world of food and cooking, where the easy, low-priority pots and pans are put on the burners at the back of the stove, where they don’t need or receive much attention.
You can always find different ways of expressing your meaning by using the QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool. It’s quick, easy, and free!
- Is it back burner or backburner?
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You can use either backburner or back burner when talking about something that is low priority, although back burner is more common.
Because back burner is more common and has been used more regularly over time, if you are in doubt, it is always best to choose it in your writing.
You can also use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you use back burner correctly.
