clear ... backlog• Norwich agreed to take on an extra twelve staff and to clear the backlog of applications.• Extra staff brought in to clear the backlog should be kept on until a thoroughreview is made.• She continued to go to the shop and had managed to clear the backlog of work and correspondence.• The hospital is asking for more money to clear the backlog.• He said the airline was now working to clear the backlog, with the delayedflightsexpected to depart within 24 hours.
From Longman Business Dictionary
backlogback·log /ˈbæklɒg-lɒːg, -lɑːg/ noun [countableC usually singular]
an amount of work that should already have been completed
The company has a backlog of 165 orders for the helicopter.
Originbacklog
(1900-2000)backlog“large piece of wood placed at the back of a fire”((17-21 centuries))