reverse gear
noun
Forms reverse gears
- noun (automotive) A gear (setting) in a vehicle's transmission which, when selected, makes the vehicle move backward. (Denoted with symbol R on a shifter's labeling.) “The reverse gear of a Ford Model T was engaged with a foot pedal.”
- noun (mechanical engineering) A gear fitted to a machine which allows it to run in the direction opposite to normal operation. “This old lathe has a reverse gear, but it wouldn't be used under most conditions, and in fact its use is unsafe under most conditions because the chuck is attached with nothing but a right-hand screw thread!”
- noun (figurative) A backward movement; a retreating from a goal; an undoing progress instead of moving forward.
Synonyms
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “reverse gear”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details