back·lash

[bak-lash]
noun
1.
a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
2.
a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change: a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.
3.
Machinery.
a.
the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.
b.
play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
4.
Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.
verb (used without object)
5.
to make or undergo a backlash.
00:10
Backlash is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to bark; yelp.

Origin:
1805–15; back2 + lash1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
backlash (ˈbækˌlæʃ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
2.  the play between parts
3.  a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development: a public backlash against the government is inevitable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

backlash
1815, of machinery, from back (adj.) + lash. In metaphoric sense, it is attested from 1921.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The rich are certainly not the only targets in the current populist backlash.
Hopefully a backlash against tenure will not sweep away reasonable forms of job security and academic freedom.
Two, a great many of us are at risk for the backlash by the ignorant.
As such, any perceived threat to their power is met with a backlash.
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