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'walked back' idiom
EmmettRedd
859 Posts
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2016/04/22 - 7:48am
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I heard on the radio someone not liking the idiom: walked back or walk something back. He preferred retract. The earliest example I could find is was this one from September 10, 2005.

Any comments/suggested etymology?

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2016/04/22 - 12:04pm
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They need a hazy term for politicians finessing a retreat.    Retract  , being precise,  takes too much work for reporters to explain if it happens all the time, which seems what distinguishes this election cycle.  Which suggests  walk back   really came into common usage this very election cycle.

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2016/04/29 - 11:06am
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I can move that date back almost a whole eight months: The West Wing, season 6, episode 12, 19 Jan 2005.

Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper: "State feels that we could tamp things down if you could just walk the ambassador's statement back."

EmmettRedd
859 Posts
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2016/05/08 - 7:54pm
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A Lexis/Nexis search finds

When Bush "refused today to walk that claim back," Kerry told WCCO-TV of Minneapolis in an interview

in USA TODAY September 9, 2004, Thursday, FINAL EDITION Some see Cheney's terror remark as 'fear strategy' BYLINE: Martin Kasindorf SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 7A.

Four months more give a year and a day earlier than the quote in my original post.
And

The answer to the dilemma created by the United States is not for it to walk its positions back,

in

The Globe and Mail (Canada) April 21, 2004 Wednesday Bush can't order Mideast peace à la carte BYLINE: GARETH EVANS and ROBERT MALLEY SECTION: COMMENT; Pg. A23

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