off the beaten track
3
6.5
- idiom
- UK
:
fuera de lo común
- They found a cozy cabin that was off the beaten track, away from the crowded tourist spots.
- get off the beaten track
- venture off the beaten track
- go off the beaten track
You know, it's like so off the beaten track.
- You know, it's like so off the beaten track.
Examples
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So unexpected, coming across a place like this, so off the beaten track.
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Explore one of the hidden, off-the-beaten-track beaches in this naturally breathtaking tropical paradise.
Blog text (17) -
We are a little off the beaten track.
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Maybe it is a little too far off the beaten track.
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I guess we're far enough off the beaten track here to take a rest.
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Nice little enclave off the beaten track.
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A bit off the beaten track, isn't it?
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People travel more widely and adventurously than ever before, often well off the beaten track and without much thought to the health risks.
Academic text (2012) -
Situated in and around the Shawnee National Forest, this region in the southern tip of Illinois is certainly off the beaten track.
Blog text (23) -
We hope you enjoy your visit, and we urge you to follow your own inclination to get off the beaten track and discover new and different photographic opportunities.
Academic text (2001)
Synonyms
42
6.5
A place not yet explored or mapped
10
6.1
Far from towns and not easy to reach
9
6.0
In a place most people do not visit
9
4.0
In a place far from towns and not often visited
8
4.8
A place that few people visit
2
5.9
Away from a marked path when walking in nature
1
6.3
A path or area that no one has visited
1
7.7
A place where there are no paths or roads and very few people have been
A place that few tourists visit
Antonyms
How Popular
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'off' = away from, and 'the beaten track' = a well-worn path, so together they denote being away from the usual/well-travelled places. This image is literal and has close equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase off the beaten track comes from the image of a path worn by many feet, a beaten track, and being off it means walking away from that main path. So it now means 'in a place that is far from where most people go'.