in the sticks
7
9.1
- idiom
- UK
:
en el campo
- They moved to a small house in the woods, deep in the sticks, far from any town.
- out in the sticks
- here in the sticks
- live in the sticks
And I went into the hospitals in the sticks and God, it was bleak.
- And I went into the hospitals in the sticks and God, it was bleak.
- And I'd love to be living somewhere out in the sticks in the countryside, just getting fresh air out of the city.
- We both grew up West of here, Andy a little bit W me, a little bit further W out in the sticks, which is now pretty developed.
Examples
-
We're not that far out in the sticks, Inspector.
-
So, what are you doing all the way out here in the sticks?
-
What happened out there in the sticks, Bob?
-
So I set up a meeting with the guys way out in the sticks.
-
We usually get about 6 to 8 kids out here in the sticks every year.
Blog text (12) -
We must have taken an hour with all the wrong turns, and her hotel is out in the sticks!
Blog text (32) -
You know, they live in the woods, in the sticks.
-
Now I like it so much out in the sticks I'm not going to let it go.
Blog text (6) -
And I'd love to be living somewhere out in the sticks in the countryside, just getting fresh air out of the city.
-
She talked about growing up in Georgia, in the sticks like the coal miner's daughter.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
91
4.6
A place far from towns and people
26
1.0
In an area away from towns and cities with farms and small villages
9
4.0
In a place far from towns and not often visited
1
9.3
A very remote area far from towns and cities
1
9.9
A very remote place far from towns or cities
1
9.9
Far from towns and cities, often in the Australian outback
A rural area far from towns and cities with few people
In wild areas far from towns and roads
Areas far from towns or cities where few people live and life is often hard
Toward the inland part of a country away from the coast and main cities
How Remote
- Informal
91
4.6
- UK
7
9.1
26
1.0
49
1.0
38
1.0
44
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
in + the + sticks
The literal word 'sticks' refers to branches or wooded material, so a learner who knows the constituents could plausibly infer a location associated with woods or countryside; the phrase therefore has a recognisable metaphorical link to remoteness. However, 'in the sticks' is colloquial and idiomatic for 'far from towns', so the exact pragmatic sense and fixed article use are not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase in the sticks may come from the image of a house deep among trees, surrounded by sticks and branches, away from roads and shops. So, saying you are in the sticks means you are 'far from cities or towns' and in a quiet rural place.