with hands behind one's back
Describes the posture of having one's hands clasped or held behind the back. Often used with verbs like 組む, 回す, 縛る.
He was walking with his hands clasped behind his back.
The criminal was tied with his hands behind his back.
Refers to the space or direction behind someone or something. Often used in set phrases like 後ろ手に回る (to go behind).
He slipped out quietly by going around behind.
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news term.
Search-only kanji form; not a standard written variant.
Compound of 後ろ (ushiro, 'behind') and 手 (te, 'hand'), with rendaku voicing of て to で. The literal meaning is 'hand(s) behind the back'.