Never Never
2
9.9
- noun
- Australian
:
el Nunca Nunca
- The remote travelers found themselves lost in the Never Never, far from civilization.
Examples
-
Put them in a cubbyhole and seal it up and move them on to Never Never Land along with their czars!
Blog text (30) -
Before you fly away to Never Never Land... ...with a bag of my money, I have one more mission for you.
-
In the Never Never, only the hardiest of creatures can survive the harsh conditions.
-
Many stories tell of adventures that take place in the desolate Never Never of Australia.
Synonyms
91
4.6
A place far from towns and people
38
5.9
Remote land in Australia far from towns where few people live
19
6.2
A wild area far from towns and roads, like a mountain
3
6.3
A large dry area in Australia far from cities and towns
2
9.9
A very remote part of the Australian outback that is wild and harsh
1
9.9
Far from towns and cities, often in the Australian outback
1
9.3
A very remote area far from towns and cities
Areas far from towns or cities where few people live and life is often hard
A rural area far from towns and cities with few people
Surface Forms
Morphology
Never + Never
The place-name meaning 'remote Australian outback' cannot be derived from the literal meaning of 'never' ('at no time') repeated; repetition here is idiomatic/toponymic rather than compositional. A B1 learner who knows the word 'never' would not predict a geographic/desolate-region sense, and the usage is regionally specific and unpredictable, so it is opaque.
Etymology
Never Never comes from old Australian stories about the far, empty bush; one popular story says people called the place never, never because if you went there you might never come back. That's why Never Never means 'a remote, empty area' today.