The Booonies and The Sticks 🏞️
❝ Lost in the boonies? Or merely stuck in the sticks? Let your linguistic compass guide you home!❞
Definition:
- Boonies: A slang abbreviation of “boondocks,” referring to remote rural areas.
- Sticks: An expression dating from the early 1900s used similarly to indicate remote or rural areas.
Origin:
The term “boondocks” originates from the Tagalog word “bundok,” meaning hill or mountain. U.S. Marines fighting Filipino guerrillas during the Spanish-American War adopted the term. It was later abbreviated to “boonies” by American troops stationed in the Philippines during World War II.
The use of “the sticks” dates back to the early 1900s, used interchangeably with “the boondocks” to describe rural areas. Blues legend W.C. Handy immortalized this term in his book Father of the Blues (1957): “I continued playing for dances, touring on the road and through the sticks.”
Related Terms:
- Hinterland
- Backwoods
- Bumf (a British slang term with a different origin, meaning countryside)
- The hinter and yon
Synonyms:
- Backland
- Nowhere
- Outback
- Boonies
- Middle of Nowhere
Antonyms:
- Urban
- Metropolitan
- Downtown
- Central
Quotes on Venue Oblivion:
“Out in the boonies where God lost his shoes.” — Grandpa Lingo “Living in the sticks was like being on a perpetual camping trip minus the fun s’mores.” — Patti Page-Turner
Proverbs:
“In the middle of nowhere, only nature sings its songs.”
Inspirations in Literature, Song, and Film:
- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
- “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
- The Backwoods of Canada by Catharine Parr Traill
- Film: O Brother, Where Art Thou? by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Thought-Provoking Farewell:
“Every journey to the ‘boonies’ has a story worth telling. Venture beyond and see what horizons go unnoticed in the city’s glow.” 🌄
