behind enemy lines
Deep in hostile
Behind enemy lines describes being in territory controlled by hostile forces, originally military: The pilot was shot down behind enemy lines.
The phrase implies danger, isolation, and the need for stealth or rescue.
Figuratively, it describes being surrounded by opponents or in unfriendly territory: As the only liberal at Thanksgiving dinner, I felt like I was behind enemy lines.
- covertIntentionally concealed
- covert opsSecret military missions
- deep coverProlonged covert infiltration
- infiltrationCovert entry into organization
- espionageCovert intelligence gathering
stealth · hostile · no man's land · territory · undercover · reconnaissance · sabotage · extraction · extraction point · capture · parachute · resistance · smuggle · ambush · secret mission · occupied · guerrilla · intelligence
- combat idiomsstab in the back, dodge a bullet, in the crosshairs, fire away, take a shot
- Special Opsspecial forces, special operations, black ops, covert ops, Navy SEALs
- British Special ForcesSAS, Special Air Service, Hereford, selection, badged
- war narrativeswar diaries, wartime memoirs, eyewitness accounts
behind enemy linesout of harm's way
In a secure position
in the clear · secure · sheltered · defended · extracted
behind, enemy, lines, line, liners, linear, lineage, lineal, linearity