flyover country
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈflaɪˌoʊvər ˈkʌntri/
- Offensive
:
la América profunda
- However, I live in flyover country, and my mileage may differ.
- flyover country in America
- called flyover country
Examples
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Immediately after 9/11, I and many of the people I knew (all of whom lived in "flyover country" geopolitically, if not geophysically) rushed to educate ourselves about this new threat from Islam.
Blog text (2) -
Many people overlook the charm of flyover country when planning their vacations.
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Make no mistake, even the rubes running for office in flyover country where I live are going to get that memo.
Blog text (25) -
Parker: I live in a town of 100K population, also in flyover country, but I don't know cops personally.
Blog text (23) -
JW: Well seen, this is an often overlooked phenomenon in the USA, the great distances: flyover country.
Blog text (13) -
Thus, you get that horrible inbred arrogance of the media, who will merrily tell the rest of us in flyover country what to think.
Blog text (6) -
Barack Obama's administration is filled with the ignorance of America you get from liberal academics and rich people who've never done much work out in flyover country.
Blog text (16) -
They laugh at us unsophisticated rubes in "flyover country" and say we cling to our guns and our religion and that we're greedy and don't pay enough taxes.
Blog text (25) -
Travelers often zoom over flyover country, missing its beautiful landscapes and friendly towns.
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In discussions about American culture, flyover country frequently gets dismissed without consideration.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Land away from towns and cities where few people live
1
5.7
A remote wild area far from towns and roads
1
9.1
A remote area far from towns with few modern services
1
9.3
A very remote area far from towns and cities
In wild areas far from towns and roads
Antonyms
How Rural
Surface Forms
Morphology
flyover + country
A learner who knows 'fly'/'fly over' and 'country' can plausibly infer the basic idea of 'country that planes fly over' — i.e., regions between major cities — so the literal reference is largely accessible. However, the dismissive, socio-cultural connotation (that these areas are unremarkable or ignored by coastal travelers) and the clipped noun formation 'flyover' are language- and culture-specific and not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Flyover country may come from a simple image: planes traveling between big cities usually just fly over the wide rural country in the middle and do not stop. Because these areas are passed over by travelers and media, the phrase now means 'regions often ignored' by people in the big cities.