back alleys
Behind the storefronts
Back alleys are the narrow passages behind buildings, typically used for garbage collection, deliveries, and service access rather than public thoroughfare.
They connote seediness—places where illicit deals happen, where you might get mugged, where stray cats scavenge: They met in a back alley to make the exchange.
Figuratively, back-alley suggests something clandestine or disreputable: back-alley abortion, back-alley deals.
- side streetMinor road off thoroughfare
- dead endPassage without outlet
- graffitiIllegal surface markings
- narrowOf small width
- dumpstersLarge commercial waste bins
garbage cans · clandestine · shortcut · escape route · noir · shadowy · labyrinthine · hideout · courtyards · cobblestones · muggers · gas lamps · mews · passageways · crime · street crime · doorways · fire escape
- urban settingscity streets, cityscape, city life, metropolis, urban settings
- terraced housingrow houses, townhouses, Victorian terraces, shared walls, party walls
- rough neighborhoodsslums, ghettos, ghetto, inner city, projects
- tenementsapartment, railroad flat, railroad apartment, cold water flat, walk-ups
- vicevice, debauchery, prostitution, depravity, immorality
- Back Roadscountry roads, country lanes, dirt roads, gravel roads, rural routes
back alleysmain streets
Primary urban thoroughfares
boulevards · avenues · high streets · main roads · highways
back alleysupscale neighborhoods
Wealthy residential districts
public squares · commercial districts · civic centers · polite society · front porches
back alleystown center
Municipal gathering area
public forum · city hall · civic center · shopping district · financial district
back, alley, alleyway, alleys, alleyways, backstreet, backstreets, backroads, backroad