the.com/backroom deal
Democracy's decision, made before democracy was invited.
means An agreement or decision reached privately by a small group of insiders before the matter is presented for public or formal approval.
from Literal before it was figurative: the 'backroom' was the room behind a shop, bar, or party headquarters, away from the counter or public floor, where the real business happened out of customer or voter sight. American political slang, especially around 'smoke-filled room' party conventions in the early 20th century, fused the two images — the backroom and the smoky private negotiation — into a shorthand for decisions made by insiders before the public ever gets a vote.
- origin
- named for literal back rooms of 1800s political clubs
- irony
- often legal, just conveniently undocumented
- modern form
- now happens over texts, not cigars
- tell
- the vote always matches the whisper