This is the 11341st most frequent French word.
rebours
"Rebours" means "against the grain" or "in the opposite direction."
The phrase 'à rebours' means 'backwards'. In this context, it indicates solving the puzzle in reverse order.
Nous devons résoudre ce puzzle à rebours.
We must solve this puzzle backwards.
Here, 'à rebours' specifies the action of counting in the reverse direction of a timeline.
Il a compté les jours à rebours jusqu'à l'événement.
He counted the days backward until the event.
In this example, 'à rebours' describes the direction of movement, denoting walking in the opposite direction.