in the background

in the background

In a (literal or figurative) place where someone or something is not very noticeable. I'm not the best dancer, so the director has put me in the background for most scenes. The more new people get hired, the more I feel ignored and lost in the background!
See also: background
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • be like ships in the night
  • hope not
  • (I) hope not
  • not for a second
  • not for a minute
  • not for a moment
  • aint
  • ain't
  • not for a instant
  • not for a/one minute/moment/second/instant
References in classic literature
In the background a volcano crater was silhouetted against the stars.
To their right was the village, separated from them only by one level stretch of meadowland; in the background, the hall.
school activities--stay in the background as an annoying soundtrack of Olivia's life.
Lofts, condos and funky old houses serve as the main settings, while the mountains hover in the background. No beaches are seen; however, gritty Hastings Street is.
The utility can be configured to run automatically in the background and wash users' tracks at start-up, shutdown, or at scheduled intervals.
"); musician Susie Ibarra's lively drumming in the background lends a beatnik ambience.
"With the coloured lights and splash pool in the background, it's like being on holiday all the time," says Dawn.
With mariachi music in the background, sixteen-year-old Suzie Diaz tells me about her encounter with the Border Patrol two years ago.