backlog: meaning and explanation
A backlog is a word we use to describe any work, jobs, or chores that we need to work through or complete.
This word communicates the idea that this work has built up or accumulated, maybe because we cannot work quickly enough to keep up with the new work, or maybe because we were away or busy and unable to complete the tasks.
You can specify what kind of work has built up by saying 'an email backlog' or 'a backlog of emails'.
When we talk about doing the work, it is common to talk about working through a backlog or clearing a backlog. e.g. After 6 hours, I had finally worked through my backlog of work and could focus on that afternoon's meeting.
Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?
Listening exercises
Dictation #1
Accent: North America
About the sentence
...I spent my first day back at work trying to clear...
Notice the two useful verb patterns to spend time doing something and to try to do something.
Dictation #2
Accent: Ireland
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Dictation #3
Accent: England (RP)
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Extra practice
Here are some questions/links to help you learn the new vocabulary:
- Can you think of a time when you had to clear a massive backlog? What caused it?
- The origin of this idiom makes it easier to understand the meaning. Can you find out where the word 'backlog' comes from?
Photo by Pär Pärsson on Unsplash
I remember a time when I was working at a clothing factory and I had to keep up with the rest of the chain of production, but I fell behind as the sewing machine had broken down. By the time it was repaired, tons of clothing had already built up and I had to work longer to clear my backlog of clothing. I worked through it after two days, it was a bit overwhelming.
I looked into this idiom and I found this: “it was used, principally in America and Canada, in the late 17th century to describe the largest log on a fire which was always put to the back. By the 1880s it was used figuratively to depict something stored for later use, just as the back log was the last to burn.”
That’s interesting! I thought it had a different origin, relating to the timber industry in the past. Logs cut from trees deep in the wilderness would be floated down the river to towns.These would often cause blockages and ‘backlogs’. Your explanation makes sense too though – who knows!
Excellent example – I had a similar experience when working in a washing machine factory about 20 years ago. Except in my case, it was my fault because I wasn’t working fast enough. A huge backlog built up and the factory had to stop the production line so I could catch up. They told me not to come back the next day 🙁
I spent last week trying to clear my backlog of texts to write. There’d been a lot to be corrected, but now I finally feel I’m free to do other things.
I’m not sure about the use of past perfect, but I used it anyway rsrs
Haha, good try with the past perfect! I like the fact that you always try to use it, but remember that it is much less common than past simple. In your example, the idea of there being a lot to be corrected is at the same time as the meain action (that you spent last week clearing the backlog). Because the time is the same, you should just use past simple (there was a lot to be corrected).
Use past perfect when you need to make it very clear that the action happened BEFORE the main action of the sentence, i.e. that you are going out of sequence.
For example: I woke up, had a shower, got dressed, had breakfast, and left the house. When I got to work, I realised I had forgotten my wallet.
In this example, the verb ‘forget’ is out of sequence – it happened before the main action in that sentence (I got to work). We have to make this clear by using the past perfect. Does that make sense?
hahaha I think I’ve been confusing the use of simple past and present perfect (Because I heard that in my language is more common to use SP than PP, and in English is the opposite), but at the end I used the past perfect. Theoretically, I know the use of PP (in actions that happened before an action in the past), but when I need to use it in practice, everything goes wrong hehehe
Thank you very much, what you say makes sense and next time I’ll get it right
I think that every office worker met with such activity in their life)). And in most cases, people need to cope with such a backlog namely after continuous vacation or holiday.
For me – ‘the backlog’ is something similar to ‘clean Augean stables’ – boring, tedious and painstaking activity which, though, should be done and definitely takes its roots from ancient times. Maybe from ancient Greek mythology, as well.
My experience with “backlog” is very common, especially when I work in adminstration. Last month, I took holiday for one month and I came back with huge work and tasks and the first week I try to clear all the backlog of tasks.
Great example Shadha! That’s not a nice way to come back to work after a holiday :/
In the last sentence, you don’t need to repeat ‘tasks’ because you have already described the build up of ‘work and tasks’. I would just say “…and in the first week I had to clear the backlog”.
Very interesting comment! I’ll be honest – I had to look up the meaning of ‘cleaning the Augean stables’ 🙂
I would say “every office worker experiences such an activity in their lives”.