backlash

[ bak-lash ]
/ ˈbækˌlæʃ /

noun

a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change: a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.
Machinery.
  1. the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.
  2. play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.

verb (used without object)

to make or undergo a backlash.

Origin of backlash

First recorded in 1805–15; back2 + lash1

British Dictionary definitions for backlashing

backlash
/ (ˈbækˌlæʃ) /

noun

a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
the play between parts
a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development a public backlash against the government is inevitable