frontstabbing

Backstabbing and frontstabbing appear to have a literal meaning in computer games, where you can stab the enemy from behind or from in front. There are various discussions about how in a particular game backstabbing seems to be broken because you have to be absolutely directly behind the enemy before it will work.

 Backstabbing always had its figurative meaning, ‘to do harm to an unsuspecting person by saying negative things about them behind their back’. Now frontstabbing has the equivalent meaning of destroying someone’s character or reputation but in their presence.  So you can frontstab someone in a meeting by allocating blame to them in front of everyone.