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Can I use “back up” and “back over” in those ways?

  1. Does get “back over the line” mean “get back in line”?

  2. Could “back over here” mean “come over here”?

  3. Can “backup” mean “standup”?

Suppose a person just sat down in a classroom. When a Teacher tells the student "Get back up" it means "Stand back up", true? Or maybe they use up only when you are not done standing?

I saw a person in a movie one time saying:

I bring backups in case we need any.
or
I'll put some backups in case you need them.

Is backup used in that sentence the same way you say “backup your files” or is it informal?

Can I say: I'm always running out of water when I travel, get a backup bottle so we don't run out.

Are the sentences above, correct?

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  • Jacob, you have not provided any sample sentences. Also, when referring to expressions, it is a good idea to use bolding or "quotation marks". For example: Can back up mean stand up if the person just sat down? Also,please check your spelling before posting. Thank you.
    – Lambie
    Nov 23, 2018 at 17:52
  • @Lambie Yes, I don't understand what If the person just sat down. refers to either. I think the OP is confusing back with standing? e.g. "Sit with your back straight"? "Get back up on your feet"? "Don't turn your back on me"? All wild guesses of course.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Nov 23, 2018 at 19:44
  • @Jacob - Stop asking follow-on questions in comments. Edit your question instead. Better yet, spend a little time double-checking your question before you submit it, and make sure you've asked everything you want to ask.
    – J.R. ♦
    Nov 24, 2018 at 12:21

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Get back over the line! means that you should step across the line to the other side. The line marks a boundary of some kind. The speaker is telling you that you are on the wrong side of the boundary.

Get back over here! is said when the speaker wants you to return to where the speaker is. You have gone to another location and the speaker is telling you to return.

You can use those phrases in the declarative voice too:

I am going to get back over the line.

I am going to get back over there.

Notice that you would say there when someone has said "Get back over here!"

I want you to get back over here!
--OK, I will be there in a moment.

The words here and there are deictic, expressing a particular point-of-view.

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  • in line I meant a waiting line
    – user85483
    Nov 23, 2018 at 20:55
  • @Jacob: That makes no difference. The line was presented as a boundary, if you have reported correctly what was said. Now, if the words had been Get back into (the) line, the meaning would be different.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Nov 23, 2018 at 21:14
  • Okay, but is it the same as fall in line or is more like spoken only?
    – user85483
    Nov 23, 2018 at 21:17
  • No, it is not the same. "Fall in line" is not at all the same thing as "Get back over the line". They both use the word "line" but, that's all that is similar about them.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Nov 23, 2018 at 21:18

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