Fun with idioms: Back Seat Driver

Today's idiom is "back seat driver." Taken literally, it would mean someone driving from the back seat of a car. I guess that would be possible if you had a really special car, but usually the driver sits up front.

The term is derived from the experience of driving a car while someone who is not driving constantly tells the driver what to do. In other contexts, a back seat driver is someone who seizes control of a situation when they shouldn't.

A back seat driver is a control freak who needs to be in charge of every situation. They are usually kind of frantic about giving unsolicited but constant advice and suggestions. Needless to say, this idiom is not a term of endearment.

Idiom Resources

As I was perusing the internets to find idiomatic ideas today I came across a website that is a great quick resource. IdiomSite.com lists dozens of idioms alphabetically with short descriptions after each one. If you're interested in a quick and easy way to look up an idiom that you don't understand, this site should be able to help you out. Some of the entries are not exactly idioms, but they are common phrases that would be confusing if you didn't understand the stories behind them.