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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Word “Backlog” Come From For an Accumulation and What Did the Term Mean Originally?

Where Did the Word “Backlog” Come From For an Accumulation and What Did the Term Mean Originally?

June 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

While a backlog of work might be a burden, it’s better than no work at all, and in business it guarantees survival.

Before stoves, or even matches, the kitchen fireplace was kept burning around the clock.

This was done by placing a huge log, or back log, behind the fire that would keep smoldering once the flames had died down during the night.

The embers from the back log could then ignite a new fire in the morning.

A “backlog” is an accumulation, reserve, or surplus of anything from orders at a business to work at your day job.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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