a central cohesive source of support and stability; faith is his anchor; the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money; he is the linchpin of this firm

[ Syn: anchor , mainstay , keystone , linchpin , lynchpin ]

fortitude and determination; he didnt have the guts to try it

[ Syn: grit , guts , moxie , sand , gumption ]

the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord; the fall broke his back

[ Syn: spinal column , vertebral column , spine , back , rachis ]

the part of a books cover that encloses the inner side of the books pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved; the title and author were printed on the spine of the book

[ Syn: spine ]

the part of a network that connects other networks together; the backbone is the part of a communication network that carries the heaviest traffic'