Πρώτα απ' όλα, να είμαστε ευχαριστημένοι όταν δεν λέγεται το «έσπασε την πλάτη του» στις παρακάτω περιπτώσεις:
break one's back
Put great effort into achieving something.
‘as soon as we finished I'd break my back to get home to her’
‘Ain't it good enough that I'm out here breaking my back for them?’
‘‘All it costs is €30 a month and you get staff who will break their back for you in terms of loyalty,’ he said.’
‘We have more, varied, fresher and cheaper food than ever before - and nobody has to break their back on the land to get it to us.’
‘Yesterday, when I was being smeared and pelted with snow while breaking my back, my neighbor cleared his tiny, non corner walk in about 3 minutes and then went back inside.’
‘‘It really will not break your back if you smile around this place,’ Watts told the group.’
‘I break my back for pedagogy and love of my subject!’
‘I have no desire to break my back on the wheels of capitalism, or prostrate myself before it.’
Εγώ δεν το έχω πει ούτε στην περίπτωση κατάγματος. Είναι ο τεράστιος φόβος μου όταν κατεβαίνω σκάλες που γλιστράνε από τα νερά ή τα χιόνια. Την επόμενη φορά που θα κατεβαίνω ολισθηρές σκάλες, θα σημειώσω ποια έκφραση ήρθε στο νου μου.