back streets
Quiet residential thoroughfares
Back streets are the smaller, quieter roads in a town or city, away from the main thoroughfares and commercial districts.
They often have a residential or neglected character, suggesting places where ordinary life unfolds out of public view.
The term carries connotations of seediness or secrecy in some contexts: He knew all the back streets where deals went down.
As an adjective, back-street suggests something hidden or unofficial, often with illicit overtones: a back-street abortion.
- alleyNarrow way between buildings
- dark alleysUnlit narrow passageways
- hideawaysSecluded places for solitude
- laneDesignated travel strip
- narrowOf small width
shadows · escape route · seclusion · mews · underbelly · wrong side of town · hidden · anonymity · pathways · shortcuts · byway · passage · hidden passages · pedestrian routes · secrecy · obscurity · cul-de-sac · detour
back streetsmain streets
Primary urban thoroughfares
main roads · high streets · high street · boulevards · arterial roads
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