back of beyond
1
9.8
- noun
- UK
:
fin del mundo
- They took a vacation in the back of beyond, far away from city life.
Examples
-
He has a kind word, a joke, or a particular point to make with every visitor who has made it to this village in the back of beyond.
Academic text (2008) -
I have a septic tank and live in the way back of beyond, so I'm very aware of what goes into the soil.
Blog text (5) -
It's not a comfortable spot, and it's at the back of beyond.
-
I'm in the back of beyond.
-
He's in Borneo somewhere in the back of beyond.
-
Didn't think we had a hope in hell, us nobodies from the back of beyond.
-
Many people consider that remote village to be in the back of beyond.
-
During their road trip, they discovered a hidden gem in the back of beyond.
Synonyms
19
6.2
A wild area far from towns and roads, like a mountain
5
7.6
A very remote place far from people with a dramatic view
2
9.4
A distant land far beyond the sea
2
7.2
A very distant place that seems at the limit of the world
1
5.7
A remote wild area far from towns and roads
1
9.9
A very remote place far from towns and cities
1
9.9
A very remote place far from towns or 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
How Remote
- UK
1
9.8
- Informal
91
4.6
218
3.6
9
4.0
392
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'back' (rear) and 'beyond' (the farther side) together plausibly evoke a very remote location, so a learner who knows the words can often infer the general idea. However, the fixed idiomatic phrasing 'back of beyond' is somewhat archaic and not fully compositional or predictable from the parts alone, so full understanding (including register and exact nuance) may require prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom back of beyond paints a simple map image: a place at the far back, past everything and even beyond the edges of the map. One popular story says people used it for spots so far away they seemed behind the whole world, so today it means 'very remote' or 'hard to reach'.