back and edge
Preserved but no longer current.
Entirely, heartily, tooth and nail, with might and main. The reference is, perhaps, to a wedge driven home to split wood. They were working back and edge for me. BOLDREWOOD: Robbery under Arms, ch. ii.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “back and edge” mean?
Entirely, heartily, tooth and nail, with might and main. The reference is, perhaps, to a wedge driven home to split wood. They were working back and edge for me. BOLDREWOOD: Robbery under Arms, ch. ii.
Is “back and edge” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.