flyover state
1
7.9
- noun
- /ˈflaɪˌoʊvər steɪt/
- Offensive
:
estado de la América profunda
- The documentary focuses on the challenges faced by residents of flyover states trying to make their voices heard.
Examples
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- No, see, there are flyover states.
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That's in one of those flyover states.
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Policies important to the citizens of 'flyover' states are not as highly prioritized as policies important to 'battleground' states when it comes to governing.
Blog text (29) -
And not just in some podunk flyover state where yahoos drive around with gun racks on their trucks.
Blog text (1) -
Many people overlook the charm and culture in a flyover state when traveling between major cities.
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She pointed out that life in a flyover state can be just as vibrant as in more popular locations.
Synonyms
1
8.6
Rural, less populated areas that people often ignore when they travel between big cities
How Overlooked
Surface Forms
Morphology
flyover + state
A learner who knows 'fly/over' and 'state' can plausibly infer a 'state that people fly over' — the literal compositional relation is clear and follows normal English compounding. However, the evaluative nuance ('uninteresting' or 'overlooked') and the specifically US cultural usage are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so the meaning is only partly deducible.
Etymology
The noun flyover state comes from the image of planes that fly over a state without landing, so travelers only see it from above. That's why it means a place many people call 'uninteresting' or 'overlooked' compared with big cities on the coast.