Upturned, then backward and forward (5)
I believe the answer is:
pushy
'forward' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'upturned then backward' is the wordplay.
'upturned then' becomes 'pu' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'backward' becomes 'shy' (I've seen this in another clue).
'pu'+'shy'='PUSHY'
'and' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pushy that I've seen before include "Socially aggressive" , "Aggressive; overbearing" , "Self-assertive, forceful" , "Excessively self-assertive" , "Forward" .)